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Report into Gowari deaths will be tabled in current session, says Munde

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde today reiterated in the legislative assembly that the Dani Commission report, which probed the stampede deaths of 114 Gowaris in November 1994 in Nagpur, would be tabled in the winter session itself.

He also ruled out reports in a section of the press that the government would suppress the original document and table a different report just to indict someone.

Replying to a point of procedure raised by leader of opposition Madhukar Pichad, Munde said the Dani report as well as the findings of the Gundewar Commission, which inquired into the desecration of Dr B R Ambedkar's statue and the subsequent violence last year, would be tabled as it is along with the action taken report.

According to news reports, the Dani report has absolved the previous Congress regime of any culpability in the events leading to the Gowari deaths and has termed the incident as an accident. It was a major election issue in the 1995 assembly elections and the opposition had severely criticised the Congress government for its inept handling of the morcha to Vidhan Bhavan.

The press reports further claimed that the government was planning to set up another commission to scrutinise the Dani report. Munde denied the charge and said it was the newspapers' opinion and he did not want to say anything in the matter.

UNI

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