Pune police nabs five Maoists in connection with Bhima Koregaon violence case; conducts search across country

Pune, August 28: Going a step ahead in Maharashtra's Bhima-Koregaon violence case, Pune police on Tuesday conducted searches at the residences of five so-called activists across the country for their suspected Maoist links.

The five so-called prominent activists including Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Gautam Navlakha and Varavara Rao were arrested by Pune police in connection with Maharashtra's Bhima-Koregaon violence case.

Shivaji Bodkhe, Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order), Pune said that the raids were carried out as part of an investigation in Bhima-Koregaon violence case across Hyderabad, Delhi, Haryana, Mumbai and Ranchi.

The Commissioner of Police also said, “Searches are being carried out at the homes of Left wing activist and poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonzalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, trade union activist Sudha Bhardwaj in Chhattisgarh and civil liberties activist Gautam Navalakha, who lives in Delhi.”

BACKGROUND:

The 200th anniversary of Bhima-Koregaon movement took a violent turn this year when a youth died in clashes on during an event to mark the day. A 28-year-old man was killed in the clashes and mobs damaged and torched several vehicles and shops and ransacked houses on 1st January of this year. An estimated worth Rs 13 crore of a property was damaged or destroyed in the riots.

During the investigation so-called Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale was arrested from his home in Mumbai, while lawyer Surendra Gadling, activist Mahesh Raut and Shoma Sen were picked up from Nagpur and Rona Wilson was arrested from his flat in Munirka in Delhi in simultaneous raids in June along with a letter that revealed the plan of assassinating PM Modi and role of Congress.

After the arrest, BJP exposed the real face of Congress and its role in Bhima Koregaon violence that left one dead and several injured, including 10 policemen. Referring to letter recovered from the house of Bhima-Koregaon violence accused Rona Wilson, Sambit Patra launched a scathing attack on opposition saying, "This letter isn't just a letter, it strips every cloth of modesty Congress party was trying to wear. They've been exposed before people. Dalits were being used as tools."