Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case – SC reserves verdict, house arrest 5 activists continues

NP NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on the petitions filed by Romila Thapar and others challenging the arrest of activists. The court has also asked parties to file their written notes by Monday (September 24).

The court has ordered house arrests for Varavara Rao (Hyderabad), Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira (Mumbai), Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha (New Delhi) and Kranti in Hyderabad since August 24.

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The court is hearing petition against proposed arrest of these activists by Pune city police.

Pune police claim that they Maoist supporters who had organised Elgar Parishad a day ahead of the violence in Koregaon Bhima during 200th anniversary of a famous battle there.

The Pune Police had earlier arrested human rights activist Rona Jacob Wilson (Delhi), Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale (Mumbai), lawyer Surendra Gadling , activist Mahesh Raut and professor Shoma Sen, all from Nagpur.

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Dhawale was one of the organizers of Elgar Parishad, organized to commemorate 200 years of the Koregaon Bhima battle on December 31 at Shaniwarwada.

There was large-scale violence erupted in Koregaon-Bhima and its nearby areas during the celebrations of the historic Anglo-Maratha War of January 1, 1818, between the army of Peshwa Bajirao II and a small force of the East India Company that comprised a large number of Dalits.

Lakhs of Dalits from across the state had gathered around the Victory Pillar (Vijay Stambh) erected by the British in Koregaon Bhima, when two groups clashed. One Maratha youth, who lived nearby, was killed while properties worth crores were damaged.

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Two days later, Pune rural police had slapped cases against Samast Hindu Aghadi president Milind Ekbote and Shri Shivpratisthan India chief Sambhaji Bhide alias Bhide Guruji for offenses under The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code, for allegedly inciting the violence in Koregaon-Bhima on January 1.

Later, Pune city police registered cases against organizers of Elgaar Parishad and those who gave inflammatory speeches including Gujarat MLA Jigdesh Mewani and student leader Umar Khalid. Police said that Maoists had supported the Parishad and hence activists from various places who were connected with the Parishad were booked.