Pune court rejects Prof Shoma Sen’s bail application in Elgar Parishad case

Pune: NP NEWS 24 ONLINE – A special court on Friday rejected the bail application of Prof Shoma Sen of Nagpur who has been arrested in Elgar Parishad case.

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

In June, the Pune Police had 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.

Last month activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves were also arrested in the same case.

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.

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 offences 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.