Ramabai firing accused claims he is a victim

Blaming the Dalit parties, Manohar Kadam, accused in the infamous firing at Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar following desecration of Dr B R Ambedkars statue, said that he was a political victim.

Kadam, who was then a state reserve police officer while testifying under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before a sessions court claimed that a fake case was made against him by the leaders of the Republic Party of India (RPI) in order to gain political mileage.

Ramabai Nagar in suburban Ghatkopar is a dalit locality and a political game in the area will only benefit the party.

RPI is merely making the police a victim of its politics, Kadam said in his statement. Of the 38 prosecution witnesses testified so far in the decade old case, which had claimed 10 lives and injured 26, Kadam accepted 17 witnesses and rejected others calling it as a bias and a false testimony.

Kadam also denied the statements of victims who claimed that Kadam had indiscriminately oredered fire on the mob without prior warning.

The case dates back to July 11, 1997 when Kadam, had ordered his platoon to open fire on a mob of Dalits for rioting at Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar following desecration of Dr B R Ambedkar's statue.

A commission was appointed under Justice S D Gundewar in November 1997, which indicted Kadam for firing indiscriminately at the mob.

The commission has observed it was a false story that the police had staged, and Kadam was held responsible for the firing.

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