When Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray assured a delegation of NCP leaders late on Tuesday evening that he would withdraw the cases against the activists linked to the Bhima-Koregaon incident, he spoke about the cases that were registered against activists in connection with violence and arson that followed the incident.
He was not referring to the cases registered against the CPI (Maoist) linked activists associated with the Elgaar Parishad “conspiracy” as is being made out in a section of the media, official sources said here on Wednesday.
While making an announcement about withdrawal of Bhima-Koregaon-related cases, Uddhav said late on Tuesday evening: “The previous Devendra Fadnavis-led government had taken a decision to withdraw Bhima-Koregaon-related cases which did not involve serious crimes. I have given instructions to the administration to check if the decision has been implemented or not”.
Uddhav was referring to the announcement made by former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the floor of the State Assembly on March 23, 2018 that the State Government would withdraw cases filed against those booked for incidents of violence and arson that took place after the January 1, 2018 Bhima—Koregaon caste riots in which one person was killed and property worth Rs 13 crore was destroyed.
In a statement made in the State Assembly, Fadnavis had said that the police had in all registered 58 cases and arrested 162 persons in connection with the violence and arson that followed the Bhima-Koregaon incident.
In the post-Bhima-Koregaon incident, 60 police personnel and 58 citizens were injured.
“After the incident, 17 offences under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and 600 other crimes were registered. As many 1199 people were arrested, while the police initiated preventive action against 2053 people,” Fadnavis had said.
Of the total property of Rs 13 crore destroyed during and after the January 1, 2018 riots, miscreants destroyed property worth Rs 9.54 crore at
Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district.
He had also announced the appointment of an inquiry committee under retired chief Justice of the Bombay High Court J N Patel look into the serious offences registered in connection with the Bhim-Koregaon disturbances
It may be recalled that thousands of Dalits had gathered at Bhima Koregaon in Pune district on January 1, to celebrate the 200th anniversarry of January 1, 1818 victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II’s army in Koregaon Bhima. Some activists opposing the celebrations, allegedly belonging to a couple of right-wing organisations from Pune, had hurled stones at the gathering, leading to violence at violence and arson.
In the disturbances that followed, scores of vehicles, shops and other properties were set on fire in the village.
In the bandh called on January 3, 2018 by various Ambedkarite organisations in protest against an attack on a Dalit gathering, there were incidents of violence involving road, highway and railway blockades and stone-pelting and consequent police lathi-charge, in which a 16-year-old boy was killed in Nanded district and more than 50 BEST buses were damaged in Mumbai.
Alluding to the inferences sought to be drawn by a section of the media and BJP leaders, including party MP G V L Narasimha Rao alleged that attempted were being to bail out the activists arrested under the UAPA, informed official sources in the state government said that the cases filed against 10 CPI(M) linked activists were not being withdrawn.
After its meeting with Uddhav, party leader and MLA Dhananjay Munde, who was one of the members of the party delegation that met the chief minister, had said that he had requested Uddhav to withdraw cases against social activists and intellectuals who had been arrested and branded naxals in connection with a conspiracy relating to the Bhim-Koregaon incident.
However, official sources said that the chief minister had not given any assurance to the NCP delegation that the cases registered against the Maoist sympathisers arrested under UAPA in connection with the much-discussed Elgaar Parishad-cum- Bhima-Koregaon riots case. “These are all serious cases registered under UAPA. The matter is in the case. The state government cannot withdraw these cases easily,” a senior state government official said.
It may be recalled that the police had arrested ten CPI (Maoist) activists in two batches in connection with the Elgaar Parishad-cum- Bhima-Koregaon riots case. They were among the 15 activists against whom the police had registered cases. The five are still absconding.
The activists against whom charge-sheets have been filed for serious offences are: Sudhir P. Dhawale, Rona J. Wilson, Surendra P. Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh S. Raut, Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Pereira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha. They have been booked for their association with the Elgaar Parishad held in Pune a day ahead of the January 1, 2018 Bhima-Koregaon riots and their alleged links with the Maoists.
All of them have been booked for serious offences under unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 117 ( abetting commission of offence), 120-b ( conspiracy) read with 34 (common intention), 121, 121 (A) (Waging or attempting to wage a war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India) 124A (sedition), 153 –A (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot..) and 505-1b (statements conducing public mischief) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Among other things, they have been charged with involvement in a conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and overthrow the democratically elected government in the country.
The five other accused named in their charge-sheet are the absconding accused by the Pune police in the case. They are M alias Milind Teltumbde from Yavatmal, Prakash alias Navin Alias Ritupan Goswami from Assam, Manglu, Dipu and Kishan Prashant Bose, all owing allegiance to the banned CPI (Maoists). The charge-sheet stated that these five accused had gone “underground” in various parts of the country.