Elgaar Parishad probe: Pune police files chargesheet against 5 activists

In the spree of arresting activists, Pune Police have yet again filed a chargesheet on Thursday against five activists arrested in June this year in the ongoing investigation of Elgaar Parishad case. They have been accused for their alleged links with Maoists.

Among the arrested activists include — activist Rona Wilson, Nagpur-based lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen, former ‘Prime Minister Rural Development’ fellow Mahesh Raut and Sudhir Dhawale of Republican Panthers.

According to the report investigating officer ACP Shivaji Pawar has filed 5,000-page chargesheet in the court of Additional Sessions Judge KD Vadane.

Initially in the FIR, lodged by Pune resident Tushar Damgude on January 8, names of Harshali Potdar and Dhawale of Republican Panthers, Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, Jyoti Jagtap and Deepak Dhengle of the Pune-based Kabir Kala Manch cited. Damgude in his complaint had accused the activists of misleading the Dalits and spread thoughts of violence” in their minds.

Based on the FIR, police arrested all the five activists on June 6 for their involvement in the violence. Police also suspect that all these activists played a role in providing funds of banned CPI-Maoists to Elgaar Parishad and charged them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

On further investigation, police during the second round of arrests on August 28, conducted raids at the houses of and arrested five prominent activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Vara Vara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Gautam Navlakha — alleging them to be active CPI-Maoist members.

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