Bhima-Koregaon violence: Raids against members of 'Elgar Parishad' over suspected Naxal links

PUNE: Several teams of Pune Police on Tuesday conducted massive raids against members of the  'Elgar Parishad' over their alleged links with the banned CPI-M Maoists across several states.

According to Shivaji Bodkhe, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Pune, the raids were conducted at the residences of prominent activists of the Elgar Parishad' at several locations across Hyderabad, Delhi, Haryana, Mumbai and Ranchi.

The raids were carried out in connection with the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune last year.

Raids were conducted as part of the Pune Police's ongoing probe into the Bhima Koregaon violence in which one person was killed.

ANI reported that several people have been detained by the authorities and taken for interrogation.  

Activist Gautam Navlakha detained (Pic 1) in Delhi and activist Varavara Rao (Pic 2) detained in Hyderabad in connection with #BhimaKoregaon violence case pic.twitter.com/W6k1pYgpqN — ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018

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, were among those whose residences were raided by multiple police teams.

Rao's name had cropped up in a letter seized by the police during searches at the premises of one of the five people arrested in June in connection with the Elgar Parishad event on December 31 last year to commemorate 200 years of the Koregaon Bhima battle in 1818.

The Pune Police had in June arrested five people for having close links with Maoist after they allegedly made "provocative" speeches at the event, which resulted in violence in the Koregaon Bhima village in the district.

Later, an FIR was also registered at the Vishrambaug Police Station in connection with the riots and the ensuing violence in the area.

As part of its probe, the authorities later arrested Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale 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 June.

On the basis of their interrogation, the Pune Police raided the homes of the five accused who were arrested by them and those who were directly or indirectly connected with them. 

(With PTI Inputs)