This time, acting upon their old tradition, the Karnataka government has picked an urban Naxal and Bhima Koregaon case accused, Anand Teltumbde for the national-level Basava Award for the year 2022-23. The Siddaramaiah-led Department of Kannada and Culture chose him recognising individuals in the field of literature, social justice and harmony.

 

Anand Teltumbde, an accused Urban Naxal and ‘Dalit rights activist. He is one of the main accused of the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence case

 

Anand Teltumbde is also the younger brother of India's top Maoist commander, Milind Teltumbde. Milind Teltumbde who handles the operations of the CPI(M) is also an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. Teltumbde, 58, was in charge of the Maoist outfit’s Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone.

 

 

 

Milind used to discuss the Elgar Parishad, Bhima Koregaon programme and about participation and support given by urban members of CPI(M) to use the said platform for spreading their ideology under the guise of using the Elgar Parishad programme. As per the police, Anand Teltumbde used to attend international conferences and bring back Maoist literature and videos.

 

 

 

 

The Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case pertains to an event organised at Shaniwar Wada called Elgar Parishad on December 31, 2017. The following day, i.e January 1, 2018, large-scale violence broke out at Bhima Koregaon, where lakhs of Dalits had gathered to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon, won by the British Army—comprising mostly soldiers from the Dalit community—against the Peshwas in 1818.

 

An FIR was filed in connection with the violence on January 8, 2019, after which Pune Police kickstarted a probe into it. According to the police, arrested ‘activists’ claimed that the event was organised as part of alleged Maoist activity and the accused were members.

 

On 2 February 2019, Pune Police arrested Anand Teltumbde for his supposed role in the violence that occurred in Elgar Parishad in January 2018.

 

 

Before being turned over to the National Investigation Agency in January 2021, the Pune police investigated for two years. A special NIA court in Mumbai denied bail to Anand Teltumbde in July 2021. The court determined that the claims made against him were, at the very least, accurate.

 

According to Special NIA Judge Kothalikar, Anand Teltumbde was unable to explain why his name was listed as a convener on the booklet named “Bhima Koregaon Shauryadin Prerana Abhiyan,” which was published before the event on December 31, 2017.

 

In its observation, the court said it did not find the accusation of Teltumbde’s involvement not “inherently improbable” or “wholly unbelievable,” and prima facie he was involved in furthering the activities of the banned organisation. The NIA had earlier claimed that Teltumbde was an active member of the proscribed group CPI(M) and propagated its activities.

 

Besides Teltumbde, a host of other supposed “intellectuals” including Sudha Bharadwaj, Stan Swamy, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, and Varavara Rao were arrested for inciteful speeches and their involvement in furthering activities of a banned organisation. Stan Swamy, one of the accused in the case died in July 2021.

 

Meanwhile, Teltumbde, has been permitted by a special court on Tuesday to travel to Bengaluru to receive an award from the government of Karnataka.Out on bail in the Elgar Parishad case, Teltumbde moved a plea seeking permission to travel. The court directed him to return on February 1.