The Maharashtra government is not against a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the killing of four members of a Dalit family in the state, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said in Nagpur on Friday.
"We are not opposed to a demand for a CBI probe into the massacre in cold blood in the neighbouring district but will have to talk first to CBI officials," Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur at his residence after visiting the lone survivor of the family on Friday morning.
The government has ordered a CID probe into the killings, allegedly by non-Dalits, in Khairlanji in Bhandara district.
The state government will look into other demands like setting up of a fast-track court, Deshmukh said. He said the lone survivor of the Dalit family, Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, will be given financial assistance of Rs 12.5 lakh, including Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister's Fund.
This is apart from three acres and Rs 50,000 to construct a house, Deshmukh said.
Refusing to comment on the home ministry's revelation that the post-killing arson and violence was sparked by Naxals, Deshmukh said, "I have not gone into the details in the files."
He appealed to Dalit activists to stop protesting as the government is handling the issue with sympathy. Day-to-day life has been badly affected in many parts of the state due to violent protests that have continued for several days now against the killings, he added.