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Raids at homes of activists across India over Bhima Koregaon caste violence

  •   Tue, Aug 28 2018 03:30:45 PM

Pune, Aug 28 (PTI): Pune Police on Tuesday conducted searches at the residences of prominent activists across the country for their suspected Maoist links, a senior police officer said.

The raids were carried out as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune last year, he 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, he said.

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, 2017 to commemorate 200 years of the Koregaon Bhima battle in 1818.

In June, five people were arrested for having close Maoist links after they allegedly made "provocative" speeches at the event, triggering violence at Koregaon Bhima village in the district, according to an FIR registered at the Vishrambaug Police Station after the event.

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.

Police said probes were being conducted at homes of the five arrested and those who were directly or indirectly connected with them.
  

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  • PenMightierThanTheSword!, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    Joint Statement condemning arrest of activists and public intellectuals
    We, the undersigned, are shocked by the serial raids across the country on the homes of activists and public intellectuals who are critical of the government and the ruling party at the Centre. The arrests of prominent activists and intellectuals Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Gautam Navlakha, Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Kranthi Tekula and others, are nothing but an attempt by the government to strike terror among those who are fighting for justice for the marginalised. This is also an attempt by the BJP to invent a false enemy and engage in scaremongering in order to polarise the 2019 elections in its favour. Already, the government and the media houses close to the BJP have been trying to spin a false narrative of a Maoist conspiracy since June, 2018. Terms like “urban naxals” are invented in order to stifle any criticism of the government. We have learnt that the Delhi Police, after having arrested Sudha Bharadwaj, waited for Republic TV to arrive before taking her to the court. This simply shows that the arrests are incomplete without the accompanying sensationalist media propaganda to demonise activists, human rights defenders and intellectuals.

    Contd....

    DisAgree Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • PenMightierThanTheSword!, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    ...cont. from previous post for want of space.

    The so-called raids carried out on the houses of these activists are aimed at creating a spectacle, as the writings and views of these intellectuals are already publicly known and are well documented. This seems like a conspiracy to divert attention from the gravity of the Sanatan Sanstha conspiracy to carry out serial bomb attacks on Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi! The same Sanatan Sanstha was also involved in the murder of Gauri Lankesh, as per the ongoing investigations by Karnataka police. Today’s arrests have been carried out in order to give cover to the murderers of Gauri Lankesh. People like Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha and others who have been arrested are friends of the people who have dedicated their entire lives to the betterment of the Indian public. By arresting them, the BJP is only exposing its insecurities and its intolerance to any dissent or criticism of its policies.

    The arrests should be seen in continuation with the recent attacks on pro-justice voices such as Swami Agnivesh, Umar Khalid and many other student activists from Delhi to Lucknow. A BJP lawmaker from Karnataka even advocated the murder of “intellectuals.” Both the arrests and the physical attacks on justice loving people must be seen in a series of attempts to stifle dissent and deny social justice.

    We demand immediate release of the arrested individuals, dropping of all false and malicious charges, as these arrests are politically motivated and unjustified.


    Shehla Rashid Shora, former Vice-President, JNU Students’ Union.

    Mohit Pandey, former President, JNU Students’ Union.

    Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Author, Journalist, Publisher.

    Neha Dixit, Journalist.

    Jignesh Mevani, MLA Vadgam, Gujarat.

    Sanam Sutirath Wazir, Human Rights Activist.

    Nakul Singh Sawhney, Documentary Filmmaker.

    Teesta Setalvad, Journalist and Social Activist.

    Harish Iyer, Equal Rights Activist.

    Swami Agnivesh, Arya Samaj, Social Activist.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Flavian, Mangaluru/Kuwait

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    Election 2019 stunt.

    DisAgree [6] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    First time in 71 Years ...

    DisAgree [6] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • El En Tea, Mumbai

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    Why not raid on Sanathana Sanstha?
    After the catch of huge explosive Govt. slow in action

    DisAgree [7] Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • Abdul Samad, mangalore

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    THIS IS PART OF HITLER AGENDA DEMOCRACY IN DANGER MODE NOW

    DisAgree [8] Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • N.M, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    No arrest of Milind Ekbote or Shambhaji Bhide?!

    For this right-wing , upper-caste Government, Dalit dissidents and supporters are all 'Maoists'.

    DisAgree [6] Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • HENRY MISQUITH, Bahrain

    Tue, Aug 28 2018

    Antisocial elements indulging in violence to create insecurity among Indians must be dealt with iron fist. Sadly, innocent dalits are used as shield!

    DisAgree [6] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse


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