The NIA has arrested three more accused persons in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad Case.
The arrested accused are Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap, all from Pune. Gorkhe and Gaichor were arrested on Monday while Jagtap was nabbed on Tuesday.
These three arrested persons are FIR-named accused persons.
The accused persons are members of Kabir Kala Manch a frontal organization of banned terrorist organization CPI (Maoist), the NIA said.
The case arose out of Vishram Baug police station, Pune regarding inciting people and giving provocative speeches during Elgar Parishad organized at Shaniwarwada, Pune by the activists of Kabir Kala Manch on December 31, 2017, which promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to
violence resulting in loss of life and property and state-wide agitation in Maharashtra, the NIA said.
During investigation, it was revealed that senior leaders of CPI (Maoist), an organisation banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were in contact with the organizers of Elgar Parishad as well as the accused arrested in the case so as to spread the ideology of Maoism/Naxalism and encourage unlawful activities, it said.
The Pune Police filed charge-sheet and a supplementary charge-sheet in this case on November 15, 2018 and February 21, 2019 respectively.
NIA took up the investigation of the case on January 24 this year and arrested accused Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha on April 14. Further, accused Hanybabu Musaliyavirtil Tarayil was arrested on July 28.
“During further investigation, it was revealed that accused Gorkhe, Gaichor and Jagtap were propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology and were co-conspirators with other arrested accused. It has also come on record that the arrested accused persons were in contact with absconding accused Milind Teltumbde about Urban network of CPI (Maoist). Also it is established that during their visits (of Kabir Kala Manch members) in the jungle, they underwent weapon and explosive training and awareness programmes on various topics related to Maoist movement,” the NIA said.