Pune police investigating the January 1, 2018 Bhima-Koregaon caste riots have recovered from a laptop of one of the five arrested activists an incriminating letter, which uncovers a plot by the Maoists to carry out “Rajiv Gandhi-type” assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The purported letter, which was produced by police before a Pune court on Thursday while seeking the custody of five “Maoist-linked” activists, including a professor from Nagpur University, for their role in Bhima-Koregaon riots, speaks of “targeting his (Modi’s) roadshows as an “effective strategy” to eliminate the Prime Minister.
Pune’s Joint Commissioner of police Ravindra Kadam confirmed that a scanned copy of the incriminating letter was recovered from the laptop of human rights activists Rona Wilson Jacob, who is one of the five persons with alleged Maoist links arrested on Wednesday in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon riots.
The scanned copy of the letter was among the virtual and physical documents recovered by the investigators during their simultaneous raids conducted by the investigators on April 17 in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur on residences of various Dalit leaders and other functionaries associated with the Elgaar Parishad organised in Pune ahead of the January 1, 2018 caste riots.
Apart from Jacob, four other arrested activists, who have been remanded in police custody by the Pune court till June 14, are: Surendra Gadling, general secretary Indian Association of People’s lawyers from Nagpur, Sudhir Dhawale, Editor Vidrohi from Mumbai, Prof Shoma Sen, Head of Department of English, Nagpur University and Mahesh Raut, anti-displacement activist from Bharat Jan Andolan.
The letter, written by “R” (which the investigators suspect might be Rona Jacob himself) and addressed to one comrade Prakash, states, “We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi-type incident. It sounds suicidal and there is a good chance we might fail but we feel the party must deliberate over our proposal.
Targeting his roadshows could be an effective strategy. We collectively believe that survival of the party is supreme to all sacrifices.”
The letter also talks about the requirement of Rs 8 crore to procure M-4 rifles as an annual supply and four lakh rounds of ammunition.
Among other things, the letter states, “Modi-led Hindu fascist regime is bulldozing its way into the lives of indigenous adivasis, in spite of big defeats like Bihar and West Bengal. Modi has successfully established BJP Government in more than 15 States. If this pace continues then it would mean immense trouble for the party on all fronts. Greater suppression of dissent and more brutal form of Mission 2016 (OGH). Com Kisan and few other comrades have proposed concrete steps to end Modi-raj.”
“Defeating Hindu fascism has been our core agenda and a major concern for the party.... We are trying to consolidate ties with like-minded organisations, political parties and representatives of minorities across the country,” the letter stated.
The arrests of five “Maoist-linked” activists were made on Wednesday under the FIR registered on January 8 at the Pune’s Vishram Baug police station in connection with the Elgar Parishad organised on December 31, 2017 by the leftist outfit Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) and Republican Panthers Party ahead of the January 1, 2018 Bhima-Koregaon riots. The FIR, originally registered u/s 153(A), 505 (1)(b), 117 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was made a conspiracy case in March 2018 and now has Sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) added to it.
It may be recalled that on January 1, one Rahul Phatangale (28), a Dalit, was killed and another 40-odd vehicles and some other property were damaged after some miscreants attacked Dalits celebrating the January 1, 1818 victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II’s army at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district of western Maharashtra. Following the incident, Maharashtra had witnessed large-scale Dalit protests which turned violent at some places.
In related development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has received two letters of threat from the Maoist groups during the last one fortnight in the wake of the killing of 40 Maoists in two separate encounters carried out by the security agencies in Gadchirioli district on April 22 and 23.
Confirming the development, sources in the Home Ministry said on Friday that the State Government had ordered an enquiry into the two letters and asked the police machinery attached to Fadnavis and his family to be “more alert” in security matters.
In one of the letters addressed to Fadnavis, the author stated, “We are inspired by the Maoist ideology. By eliminating some of our colleagues in the encounters, you cannot finish our ideology. We will definitely avenge the killings in Gadchiroli district.”