On July 11, 1997, a state reserve police officer 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. The firing claimed 10 lives and injured 26. A commission had been appointed under justice S D Gundewar in November 1997, which indicted SRPF officer Manohar Kadam for firing indiscriminately at the mob.

Lohar’s statement is one of the most important ones on record as distance between the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue and the mobs gathered at the spot is a vital aspect considered by the police.

Lohar claimed that with time he was unsure of what exactly happened during the investigation and that it was inappropriate to comment on anything without being sure about how things unfolded.

Lohar also denied remembering if any film was shot by an amateur which later turned out to be a major evidence before the commission appointed under Justice S D Gundewar. The commission completed its inquiry in August 1998. However, the clips submitted by one Ravi Shinde were not accepted as authentic evidence as it was an edited record challenging many aspects claimed by the police.