Elgaar Parishad probe: NHRC issues notice to Maharashtra Police

Acting tough on the arrest of the five activists by the Maharashtra police on Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission has issued a suo moto cognizance on Wednesday. The activists were picked up by the police for the alleged involvement in inciting the Bhima Koregaon violence in Maharashtra on January 1.

The arrested activists include — Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, activists Arun Fereira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves. They were arrested for their alleged connection with the violence at Koregaon Bhima in Maharashtra on January 1, when Dalits had clashed with upper-caste Marathas. The police have arrested them after conducting raids in Delhi, Faridabad, Goa, Mumbai, Ranchi and Hyderabad.

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The NHRC observed, as reported by TOI, it appears the standard operations procedure in connection with these arrests has not been properly followed by the police authorities, which amount to human rights violations. The Commision has asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Maharashtra police to send a factual report of the matter within four weeks.

Observing that the police have not been satisfactorily explained the offence, they were arrested for,  the Delhi High Court has stayed the transit remand approved Chief Judicial Magistrate of Faridabad. It is to be known that Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has agreed to listen the plea, filed by eminent historian Romila Thapar, at 3:45 pm today.

Activists from all the country have condemned the arrest and have asked the Maharashtra government to release the arrested activists until any Supreme Court decision comes into place.

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