This stance of the Pune Police is disturbing given the fact that there were four violent attacks on the car carrying Nikhil Wagle and his colleagues in the space of half an hour from Prabhat Road, as they made their way to the Nilu Phule auditorium at the Rashtra Seva Dal campus, Singhad Road, Pune scheduled for 6 p.m. on Froday, February 9.

Wagle, Vishwambhar Chaudhary and Asim Sarode were to address a meeting titled “Fight for Democracy, Freedom of Expression” under the aegis of the Nirbhay Bano Andolan (NBA). In the detailed complaint made by Wagle and his colleagues post the attack, dated February 14, 2024, to the Pune police, they have outlined all details related to the harrowing experience and asserted that the following sections need to be inserted as sections in the first information report (FIR):

Section 307 for assault with intent to kill, Section 338 of IPC, Section 353 for obstruction of police office, Section 120B for conspiracy to commit serious offense against all those involved in various deadly attacks on their vehicle between 7 and 8 PM on February 9, 2024. The aggrieved complainants have demanded in the written complaint that the case also be registered under Sections 149, 147, 148 for rioting, 152 for assaulting police trying to stop riots and other sections of the Information Technology Act for assault with weapons and deadly objects.

The police has not recorded Nikhil Wagle’s statement so far.

A video of the attack posted by The Indian Express can be viewed here:

Nikhil Wagle has suffered six previous attacks, the last one being in 2009. By all accounts this one has been the most serious and life threatening. Post January 1993, Wagle and several others formed Nirbhay Bano Andolan in the wake of the terror prevalent in Mumbai (then Mumbai) by the mob violence generated by those belonging to the Shiv Sena against hapless minorities. This organisation has been revived post 2022 with Dr Viswambhar Chaudhary, advocate Asim Sarode and Nikhil Wagle addressing meetings against India’s growing intolerance and authoritarianism all over Maharashtra. So far, there have been 40 meetings of the NBA all over the state with only the one at Sinnar (Nashik) attracting any dissension,

As a backdrop to the targeted violence against Wagle and his colleagues on the evening of February 9, is his outspoken remark on twitter criticizing the grant of the Bharat Ratna by Narendra Modi’s government to former BJP President, Lal Krishna Advani. Thereafter, as their complaint narrates, on the morning of February 7, 2024, Sarode’s colleague, Utpal Chandawar informed the Parvati Police station of the proposed meeting and obtained a receipt. The police simply stated that “no inflammatory speeches should be made.” The same evening, a letter was given by the city BJP to the police that if Nikhil Wagle comes to Pune and delivers a speech, the meeting would be disrupted. Before that Dheeraj Ghate had publicly “opposed” Wagle’s meeting stating he was “hurt” by the latter’s statements.

Asserting in the complaint to the police, their right to free expression and criticise the government and its policies, Nikhil Wagle has also narrated the detailed happenings that happened that day.

Between 3-7 p.m. approximately, a posse of close to 40 plainsclothes police men (Special Branch, IB) accompanies senior officers from the police station (SP rank official, Senior PI, PSI) who tried to detain the speakers (claiming public order). “This was nothing short of an illegal detention or house arrest”, the complaint states since it was the legal obligation of the Pune police to detain and control disruptors and allow dissenting opinions free expression, states the complaint.

Finally, running out of patience, around 7 p,m. Wagle and others insisted on leaving for the meeting wherin first 50 odd SB policemen in plainclothes tried to physically prevent them. When they insisted that either you arrest us or allow us to go, they proceeded with no vocal assurance from the present policemen of any protection.

Caption: Senior Journalist Nikhil Wagle shares with Sabrang, how the deadly attack occurred, what took place before that, and why he thinks this happened.

Details of the attack:

It was around 7 p.m. that Nikhil Wagle, Asim Sarode, Adv. Shriya Awle and Dr Vishwambhar Chaudhary sat in the car (Nos MH 12 JM 5566 belonging to Balkrishna Nidhalkar) and driven by Vaibhav, left Sarode’s home around 7.30 p.m. Adv. Balkrishna Nidhalkar left with us in another Innova car. Starting with some police vehicles behind them from Prabhat Road and immeidtaely realised there was something seriously wrong. On the way, the car was attacked at four places on the road. The first attack took place near Irani Cafe on Prabhat Road. BJP goons on motorbikes and their street companions threw stones and eggs at the car. They were sitting in lane number 4. They were on a motorcycle beside our car.

Then, at the point where Bhandarkar Road meets Karve Road, near Rajhans Hair Salon, the second attack took place, Vaibhav took the car towards Khandoji Baba Chowk, Deccan Corner. Hoodlums from the BJP, ABVP, Patit Pawan Sanghanata and Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP reported climbed on the car bonnets, splashed ink, smashed eggs on the glass of the car, some plainclothes policemen were trying to remove these goons with police batons in their hands but we could see them from inside the car pushing these goons away. Another 25-30 mobsters, identified to be with the BJP, were stationed where Prabhat Road joins Karve Road. They stopped our car and started breaking the glass by hitting the car with sticks and rods. They were attacking the police.

The complainants were then forced to take the car in reverse as smoke bellowed out. There was also some firing from the police. A mobster named Raghavendra Bapu Mankar was identified flinging himself across the car and smashing the mirror on the side of the driver with a stick. Turning, the driver now drove the car towards the SM Joshi Hall through Karve Road, Garware College; there was a traffic jam, so we took the car from Vaikuntha and from there we headed towards Lal Bahadur Shastri Road. Through this whole bizarre effort where car traffic is visible, Advocate Balkrishna can be seen running in front of the car on the Nidhalkar road and guiding the driver where to take the car.

Then, a little further on they were again attacked on Lal Bahadur Shastri Street. Former MLAs in the state assembly, Yogesh Tilekar and Ganesh Ghosh have been identified as trying to obstruct the car and thereafter others like Datta Sagare, Swapnil Naik, Rahul Paigude, Girish Mankar too. Swapnil Naik was actually kicking at the car glass and pelting stones at the car. A big stone or paver block was thrown on the front glass, the car was smashed from behind and then some were trying to insert rods, sticks through the broken glass to hurt us.

At this time, activists of former mayor Prashant Jagtap of Nationalist Congress parent party, city president of Congress Arvind Shinde, Sunil More of Shiv Sena, Gajanan Tharkude and original Shiv Sainik Rahul Dumbale, Ambedkari activists, Jambuwant Manohar of Youth Revolution Dal were trying to stop the attack on the car. Apart from advocate Balkrishna who was running in front of our car risking her life while another woman activist, Bhakti Kumbhar was bravely guarding the car inmates, clearing the road and preventing the goons from coming near our car. Later in a video it has seen that she was also beaten up by the NCP Ajit Pawar group and BJP goons. Also these goons attacked and injured the girls Shraddha Jadhav, Rituja Deshmukh, Rupali Shinde, Payal Chavan who also tried to save Wagle and others, states the complaint.

Despite the sheer brutality and viciousness of the attack on Wagle and his colleagues as also women who tried bravely to step in to protect them, the Pune police is shockingly refusing to register the maginitude of the crime.

Finally, in the complaint Wagle concludes,

“We experienced street terror of thugs of BJP, ABVP, Patit Pawan Organization, Nationalist Congress Ajit Pawar group for about twenty five minutes. On three occasions we felt that we were dying. Imagine more than forty to fifty people chasing five people with sticks, rods, stones, bricks at different places. BJP goons created terror on the streets. The people around were watching this outcry with horror. When there were other naysayers on the street, these BJP thugs were loudly abusing me in my name…

“This attack was to kill me and it was a terrorist attack, deadly. But we all escaped and reached the synagogue. I gave my speech as planned.

After the attack, BJP goon Dheeraj Ghate tweeted that his intention was successful.

BJP’s Pune City president, Dheeraj Ghate, has proudly claimed to have engineered the attack on Nikhil Wagle, Asim Sarode & Vishwambhar Choudhary.

He’s even tagged home minister Devendra Fadnavis in his post.

I’m sure the police will not arrest him

If lawlessness had a face.. pic.twitter.com/L8GMdWT4xV

— Parth MN (@parthpunter) February 9, 2024

Wagle’s complaint also raises a pertinent issue that, “if a letter was given to the police by gangster Dheeraj Ghate two days before the meeting, why was no action taken against those who gave the letter then? Also a goon named Shivam Balavadkar has also threatened me through his Facebook.”

The Original Complaint may be read here.

[1] In Sudhir Bhaskarrao Tambe v. Hemant Yashwant Dhage and Others,[8] it was observed that if a person has a grievance that his FIR has not been registered by the police, proper investigation is not being done, then the remedy available to the aggrieved person is not to go to the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, but to approach the Magistrate concerned under Section 156(3) Cr.P.C.

Related:

BJP’s Nitish Rane says Nikhil Wagle ‘got away easily’

Media fraternity stands with Nikhil Wagle after attack, EGI, PCI, NWMI release statements in support

Nikhil Wagle, others attacked in Pune as police watches, meetings of Nirbhoy Bano gather large crowds

The post Attack on journalist Nikhil Wagle: Despite evidence, CP, Pune Amitesh Kumar denies attempt to murder charge (S 307) appeared first on SabrangIndia.

That is when the trouble suddenly started. Sabrangindia is in possession of a video that depicts the fracas. The “leader” of ABVP also made a speech in which he said that “these people” use education to poison people’s minds. Pune police have detained some Students have been detained with no phones on their person.

Meanwhile, functionaries of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and students of Pune University’s Lalit Kala Kendra claimed had objectionable dialogues and scenes. The play, staged by the Lalit Kala Kendra, officially called the Centre for Performing Arts, was based on backstage banter of actors who perform various roles in Ramleela. It was an exam performance.

“We took objection to such acts and stopped the play which was called Ramleela. It hurts Hindu sentiments. The students of the Lalit Kala Kendra then tried to heckle us. We have approached the police and have sought the registration of a case,” Barole said. The ABVP also made unsubstantiated claims that Sita was depicted smoking etc.

 Inspector Ankush Chintaman of Chaturshringi police station told PTI there was a confrontation and verbal spat between students and ABVP members. “We have summoned both groups to record their statements,” Chintaman said.

The post ABVP attacks students of Lalit Kala Kendra over a satire play on Ramleela appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On September 10, at around 6.30 am the Pune police accompanied by Noida police raided the house of Dr. Babu. Reportedly, the police said that they didn’t need a search warrant since this was in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. Dr. Babu’s house was searched for several hours and the police took away all electronic devices, laptops, pen drives, mobile phones, etc.

The police team comprised Assistant Commissioner of Police (Swargate division) Shivaji Pawar, the investigating officer in the case along with Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Bachchan Singh and others.

A Facebook post on Tuesday by Ms. Jenny Rowena, Babu’s wife and a professor herself, read: “Today, the Pune police entered our house at 6.30 in the morning. They said that Hany Babu (my husband) who teaches at Delhi University English Department, is involved in the Bhima Koregaon case and for this they could search the house without a search warrant. They searched the house for up to six hours, took three books and his laptop, phone, hard disks and pen drives. They just left now. (Sic)”.

Dalit Bahujans gathered in thousands at Bhima Koregaon memorial to celebrate the bi-centenary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon were attacked allegedly by members and supporters of Hindutva supremacist groups on January 1, 2018. Various sections of the society came out in protest across Maharashtra.

Various reports, including one by SabrangIndia, suggested that police bandobast at the memorial was inadequate. But in the aftermath of the violence the police unleashed a massive combing operation against Dalit-Bahujans and conducted several raids and arrests the legality of which is disputed.

The first FIR registered in this regard named Hindutva leaders Manohar Bhide and Milind Ekbote as the instigators of violence. But they remained scot free. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra police unleashed a reign of terror in the form of raids and arrests on human rights defenders. What is more insidious is the subsequent charging of all the people especially human rights activists under the draconian UAPA. 

Protest in solidarity with Prof Hany Babu

On June 6, 2018 poet, activist Sudhir Dhawale, Adv. Surendra Gadling, Prof. Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson were arrested in a massive crackdown. All arrests were allegedly made in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence.

On August 28 activists Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, trade unionist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj and Telugu poet Varavara Rao, had been ­arrested as a part of what is being seen by civil society groups as a state sponsored nationwide crackdown on dissenting voices. The houses of several other activists including Susan Abraham, Sta­n Swamy and Anand Teltumbde were also raided. On February 2, 2019, Teltumbde was arrested for a day and then let off and his application is pending before the Bombay HC.

Dr. Babu’s wife, Jenny Rowena also teaches in the English Department of Miranda House, University of Delhi.

A statement written by students of English department of Delhi University highlighted Dr. Babu’s penchant and commitment towards breaking the hegemony of certain languages including English. It said, “Given how much Hany Babu cares for language equality and the inalienable right of every language in the Union of India to advance, it is indeed shocking that the Indian state has harassed such an individual.” It added that though Dr. Babu taught in the English department, he understood the “immense power” the English language carried with itself. He helped students understand how the language can cause exclusions.

Importantly, the statement noted, “Hany Babu’s demand for language equality is allied to his demand for breaking caste exclusions in how knowledge is organised,” as Babu is also part of the Alliance for Social Justice, a forum for opposing caste discrimination in the university.

Highlighting the illegality of the raid and search operation, a statement said, “Such raids without search warrants are against the very essence of democracy, individual freedom, and open the door for planting evidence. Arbitrary use of instruments of the state to harass and intimidate dissent is inexcusable. Such intolerance towards criticism and dissent was the basis for the insidious attempt that was made last year to amend the Delhi University Act and apply ESMA. We demand an immediate end to such blatantly threatening postures towards voices of dissent and democracy. This attack on academic freedom and freedom of expression will be opposed tooth and nail by the teachers of Delhi University and other academic institutions in the country.

Dr. Babu in a Twitter statement said, “As a teacher, my work is heavily dependent on the material I have saved on my laptop and hard disk. It also contains the research work I have been pursuing for years. This is not something that can be duplicated. This is years of my hardwork.” This is a gross violation of Dr. Babu’s rights and can only be construed as “intimidation and harassment by the Pune police, and, by extension, the current government in power, to silence activists, professors and other citizens who support human rights in this country.”
 

The post Years of hard work taken away: DU Professor on Pune police raids without search warrant appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Indian Express reported that the police “recovered four pipe-like-structures used for making “pipe bombs”, two country-made electric gun machines operating on electric current, gun powder, one more explosive powder wrapped in oily paper, two swords, two javelins, 59 detonators including 55 non-electric and four electric detonators, one electric switch, one electric battery, iron splinters, helmet and a hand-made body armor from the spot”. 

Per the Indian Express, the Pune Rural police issued a press release saying that Abhang had allegedly attempted to kill his wife with a bomb in 2003, after he suspected her of having an illicit affair. The Pune Mirror reported that he put a bomb on a motorcycle that he placed next to his home, and that his wife and three children in the area were wounded in the explosion. Abhang was arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 307 (attempt to murder), and 486 (Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc), the Indian Express said of the 2003 incident. He was kept in prison for three years before being released on bail. 

Assistant Police Inspector Jyoti Dhamale, who is investigating the case, told the Express that it wasn’t known if Abhang was affiliated to any particular group or outfit. 

Pune will go to the polls on Tuesday, April 23. 
 

The post Bomb-making materials recovered from man’s home near Pune appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Pune police arrested Prof. Teltumbde from Mumbai airport today at 3.30 am from Mumbai airport. The arrest took place despite a Supreme Court order which granted him interim protection till February 11.

Prof. Teltumbde has been charged with the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the Pune police. Police had alleged that he had links with Maoist organisations and that his name surfaced during the enquiries made into violence that erupted at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018.

Yesterday, Prof. Teltumbde’s Anticipatory Bail Application (ABA) was rejected by the Pune sessions court. On December 21, Bombay High Court dismissed the petition filed by Prof. Teltumbde. Later, it was challenged in SC but the SC too dismissed the petition.

Summary of Teltumbde’s petition

In an open letter after his petition was dismissed in the SC, Prof. Teltumbde had said, “There is not an iota of unlawfulness in either my voluminous writings or selfless activism. Rather, my entire academic career and corporate career of nearly four decades has been without a single blemish and is an exemplar of integrity of the highest degree”.

Prof. Teltumbde received widespread support from various national, international organisations, individuals, students, and many others. Over 90 organisations, 50 institutions and intellectuals including Noam Chomsky, Jean Dreze, Sukhdeo Thorat, Vimal Thorat, Cornel West and Chirstophe Jaffrelot have written to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres asking him to intervene and withdraw the ‘fabricated charges’ against Anand Teltumbde. Terming the charges to be “one of the severe most human rights violations” against freedom of speech and dissent, the letter by international civil rights activists said “We therefore urge the United Nations to engage with the Government of India to immediately withdraw all charges against Dr. Teltumbde and oblige in serving justice and protecting democracy from the perils of tyranny.”

After his arrest today morning, various left and Ambedkarite organisations have expressed their shock, outrage and dismay at this complete disregard of SC order of interim protection and relentless hounding of Prof. Teltumbde.

Twitter was enraged with his illegal arrest with hashtag #AnandTeltumbde trending for several hours in the morning. Noted activists, lawyers, writers such as Teesta Setalvad, Indira Jaising, Siddharth Verdarajan, Jignesh Mevani tweeted on the arrests.

Prof. Teltumbde was being produced in the Sessions Court at around 2 pm today. His wife Rama and advocate and Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar were in court. High Court senior counsel Mihir Desai told Sabrangindia that the anticipatory bail application will now be filed in the Bombay High Court on Monday.

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The post Prof. Teltumbde released by Special court, detention held “illegal” appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image Courtesy: V Sreenivasa Murthy / The Hindu

The news was confirmed by Adv. Pradeep Mandhyan of the Bombay High Court who spoke to Inspector Indulkar from Pune. Inspector Indulkar arrested Prof. Teltumbde from the airport. Indulkar claimed Prof. Teltumbde was being arrested since his bail had been rejected by the Pune trial court.

Earlier, Prof. Teltumbde was charged with the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the Pune police. Police had alleged that he had links with Maoist organisations and that his name surfaced during the enquiries made into violence that erupted at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018.

Yesterday, Prof. Teltumbde’s Anticipatory Bail Application (ABA) was rejected by the Pune sessions court. On December 21, Bombay High Court dismissed the petition filed by Prof. Teltumbde. Later, it was challenged in SC but the SC too dismissed the petition.

Summary of Teltumbde’s petition
In an open letter after his petition was dismissed in the SC, Prof. Teltumbde had said, “There is not an iota of unlawfulness in either my voluminous writings or selfless activism. Rather, my entire academic career and corporate career of nearly four decades has been without a single blemish and is an exemplar of integrity of the highest degree”.

Prof. Teltumbde received widespread support from various national, international organisations, individuals, students, and many others. Over 90 organisations, 50 institutions and intellectuals including Noam Chomsky, Jean Dreze, Sukhdeo Thorat, Vimal Thorat, Cornel West and Chirstophe Jaffrelot have written to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres asking him to intervene and withdraw the ‘fabricated charges’ against Anand Teltumbde. Terming the charges to be “one of the severe most human rights violations” against freedom of speech and dissent, the letter by international civil rights activists said “We therefore urge the United Nations to engage with the Government of India to immediately withdraw all charges against Dr. Teltumbde and oblige in serving justice and protecting democracy from the perils of tyranny.”

After his arrest today morning, various left and Ambedkarite organisations have expressed their shock, outrage and dismay at this complete disregard of SC order of interim protection and relentless hounding of Prof. Teltumbde.

The Pune police had also arrested Adv. Surendra Gadling and poet Varavara Rao in a 2016 case even as they were already in the Yerwada Central prison after they were arrested in June and October respectively, all allegedly in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned the arrest of Anand Teltumbde saying, “It may be noted that the Supreme Court of India has granted this renownedscholar four weeks protection from arrest to enable him to obtain bail. That protection period ends only on 11th February.” Criticising the government, it said, “This shows the highly vindictive policy of the BJP government led by Modi against anyone who is critical of their disruptive communal agenda. In the name of combating ‘urban naxals’ the Sangh Parivar game plan of launching a witch-hunt against human rights activists and secular and progressive scholars cannot be tolerated.” The CPI (M) has called upon all democratic and secular forces to strongly protest against this anti-democratic authoritarian assault on freedom of association and expression.

Twitter was enraged with his illegal arrest with hashtag #AnandTeltumbde trending for several hours in the morning. Noted activists, lawyers, writers such as Teesta Setalvad, Indira Jaising, Siddharth Verdarajan, Jignesh Mevani tweeted on the arrests.

Prof. Teltumbde is being produced at 2 pm today. His wife Rama and Adv. And Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar will be in court.

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Indians should be ashamed over what’s happening to Anand Teltumbde

The post Pune police illegally arrests Prof. Teltumbde defying SC order appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image Courtesy: PTI
 
Hyderabad: Varavara Rao, a writer, poet and human rights defender was arrested by Pune Police on Saturday from his Hyderabad residence. A day after he was sent to police custody, he was taken to Sassoon Hospital in Pune on Monday after he complained of difficulty in breathing, news agency ANI reported.
 
The Hyderabad High Court on November 15 had refused to extend his house arrest.
 
“The Hyderabad High Court had turned down Mr. Rao’s plea which sought the quashing of a transit remand issued by a Hyderabad magistrate. This led the Pune police to take the noted poet into custody from his home on Saturday evening, amid impassioned scenes which saw a large number of Mr. Rao’s supporters condemning the arrest and raising slogans against the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),” Indian Express reported.
 
Earlier, a Pune court on Sunday sent Rao to police custody till November 26 in connection with the Elgaar Parishad case. The activist was taken into custody after the duration of his house arrest granted by the Hyderabad High court ended.
 
“Police have alleged that Rao was a senior and active leader of the banned CPI-Maoist and was involved in a range of activities, including procurement of weapons through contacts in Nepal and Manipur, and carrying out attacks in Surjagad in Gadhchiroli. Rao was arrested along with activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Gautam Navlakha, on August 28 over alleged links with the CPI-Maoist and for organising the Elgaar Parishad event on December 31 that allegedly led to the Bhima Koregaon violence,” the report said.
 
“The 78-year-old Mr. Rao, a revolutionary Telugu writer well-known for his vocal and trenchant anti-establishment views. Mr. Rao’s incendiary writings sympathetic to the plight of the downtrodden have brought him in continual conflict with the Telangana police and government in the past 40 years. Despite being charged in more than a score cases, he has been acquitted in every one of them,” a report by The Hindu said.
 
“Mr. Rao, who has been charged with procuring arms for the Maoists, funding the spread of ‘Urban Naxalism’, as well as plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Modi among other things, was produced before the court late afternoon. On Thursday, the city police had submitted a 5,160-page charge sheet against the five activists arrested by the Pune City police during the first countrywide crackdown on June 6 for their alleged linkages with the Maoists and the Bhima-Koregaon clashes of January 1,” the report said.
 
“Learning about the imminent arrest, several activists had thronged Rao’s residence in Gandhi Nagar and protested. However, the Pune police took him into custody at around 9.15 pm on Saturday, according to family members. Rao reportedly said that though the police don’t have a fresh warrant, he’s accompanying them to not create any trouble. He argued that the transit warrant issued by the local court had expired. Varavara Rao’s wife, Hemalatha told TNM, “They did not produce the High Court order or show a fresh warrant,” The News Minute reported.
 
In an interview with Sabrang India, Former Bombay High Court Judge Justice Hosbet Suresh had said, “In Andhra Pradesh, Naxalites did exist 15-20 years ago. Many people were arrested out of which may be two or three were actually Naxalites. Today, there is not a single Naxalite in AP. All areas we had covered back then are now free. Varavara Rao, a poet and revolutionary helped to achieve that. (Rao is communist, activist, renowned poet, journalist, literary critic, and public speaker from Telangana.) He was also considered a Naxalite back then and was embroiled in many cases against him. In the course of time, the number of Naxalite activities came down. Rao was instrumental in rehabilitating them. He found out the affected areas and people and helped the government in identifying people and changing the attitudes in the region. He is now being seen as the main instigator of Naxals. It is utter nonsense and the whole case is bogus.”

The post Pune police arrest Telugu writer Varavara Rao again in Elgaar Parishad case appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
Arun Ferreira alleged in the court that he was beaten up during custodial interrogation. He said that on November 4 around 4 pm, during the interrogation he was punched about 8-10 times by the Investigating Officer (I.O.) Shivaji Pawar. The IO also hit him in the eye. While beating up Ferriera, IO Pawar was asking him questions about Indian Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL). On November 5, he was taken to the Sassoon hospital. Injuries and contusion near eye were noted by the doctors at Sassoon hospital while conducting his medical examination.
 
Stretching to the very last day of the temporary relief of house arrest granted by the Supreme Court vide order dated September 28, 2018 in Romila Thapar & Ors. v. Union of India, the Sessions court in Pune had rejected the bail applications for Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves on October 26, who were arrested allegedly in the Bhima Koregaon case on August 28, 2018. The Court also rejected the application for extension of house arrest which was due to expire on 26 October 2018.
 
During the last hearing, on October 27, although the prosecution had pointed to some ‘electronic evidence’ to keep Ferreira and Gonsalves under custody, the Defence counsel had argued that their arrest couldn’t be lawfully correct as they had remained in cusyody for more than 30 days while they were under house arrest. Defence Counsel had also argued that it would be a contempt of court to arrest them before midnight on October 26 as they had been granted relief till October 26.

Afterwards the court sent Ferreira and Gonsalves for ten days police custody till November 6, i.e. today.

The Maharashtra had police raided and arrested several prominent human rights activists in India on August 28. Following this, a writ petition was filed in the SC by eminent Indians such as historian Romila Thapar, economists Prabhat Patnaik and Devaki Jain among others. The SC disposed off the writ petition saying that the activists could avail relief from lower courts as per the law. All five activists-lawyers were under house arrest for a time period until October 26, a time period extended by the Supreme Court allowing them time to seek bail or other remedies in appropriate courts.
 
More details are awaited
 

The post Arun Ferreira alleges being punched during Police Investigation: Bhima Koregaon case appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
Mumbai: The members of civil society and more than 40 rights organisations including women’s rights organisations, Dalit rights organisations, Adivasi mass organisations, legal aid and research organisations, environmental groups, trade unions, students and more, held a joint meeting held at the Mumbai Press Club under the title ‘Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy.’ They came together on October 27 to register their condemnation of the continued hounding and reprisals by the state of human rights activists arrested allegedly in the Bhima Koregaon case.
 
Stretching to the very last day of the temporary relief of house arrest granted by the Supreme Court vide order dated September 28, 2018, in Romila Thapar & Ors. v. Union of India, the Sessions court in Pune rejected the bail applications for Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves, who were arrested allegedly in the Bhima Koregaon case on August 28, 2018.
 
Lawyer and activist Arun Ferriera and Vernon Gonsalves have been taken under custody by the Pune police on October 26 and have produced before the Pune Sessions Court on Oct 27, which has granted remand until November 6. Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj has also been taken under custody a short while back by the Pune police, who were stationed at her house since Oct 26.
 
October 26 witnessed high power drama in various courts- Pune trial court, Mumbai High Court and the Supreme Court -hearing and delivering orders on various pleas ranging from rejecting bail application of Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferriera by the Pune Sessions Court; Mumbai High Court rejecting a plea for the extension of house arrest of Arun Ferriera and Vernon Gonsalves and adjournment of the hearing until October 31 on application for quashing of FIR of Father Stan Swamy and until November 1, of Gautam Navlakha, and Anand Teltumbde; Supreme Court hearing the review petition filed by Romila Thapar & Ors. v. Union of India from the Supreme Court’s order dated September 28, which was rejected earlier today.
 
Background of arrests, Romila Thapar’s petition and the court cases
After the arrests and simultaneous raids on the houses of activists Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha and Varavara Rao; and raids on houses of Stan Swamy, Anand Teltumbde, Kranthi Tekula, Susan Abraham, KV Kumaranath, Prof. Satyanarayana on August 28, an urgent petition was filed by five eminent personalities in the Supreme Court on the question of arbitrariness of the arrest and curbing of dissent.
 
Justice Chandrachud while delivering a dissenting judgement (2:1) on September 28 in SC, laid bare the entire petition and discussed various points of law rigorously, striking at the heart of the matter — the utter violation of due process as per the provisions of the CrPC and the UAPA and the attack on dissent. The majority judgement authored by Justice Khanwilkar and signed by the then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in all but a few lines noted that the Pune Police is responsible and can be trusted to carry out the investigation following due process. Although the dissenting judgment grants the demand for an SIT, the majority judgement extended the house arrest of the five rights activist for four weeks allowing them to seek other remedial measures in the trial court and the Supreme Court.
 
A review petition on the above judgement was filed in the Supreme Court which was listed for a chamber hearing incidentally on October 26- the last day of the house arrest. While no order was passed on October 26 leaving much ambiguity, the review petition now stands rejected by an order passed earlier today. Similarly, the order, rejecting the bail application for Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferriera was filed in the Pune session court and was also delivered on the last day. A matter concerning the extension of the house arrest of Arun Ferriera and Vernon Gonsalves was also adjourned on the last day of the house arrest without the grant of interim relief. As a result, this gave no time to the three activists – Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferriera and Vernon Gonsalves, to seek legal recourse.
 
In the case of Gautam Navlakha, Delhi High Court had released him from house arrest on October 1. The petition seeking the quashing of the FIR against Gautam Navlakha, Anand Teltumbde and Father Stan Sway also came up before the Bombay High Court on October 26. The Bombay High Court has granted interim relief against arrest to Navlakha and Teltumbde until November 1 and Swamy until October 31. Hyderabad High Court on October 25 extended the house arrest of Varavara Rao for three weeks allowing him to move the local court in Pune and Mumbai High Court for quashing of FIR by Pune police.
 
This is not the first spate of attack by the State on rights activists. The first to be arrested were eight workers of Reliance Infrastructure in the month of January by the Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) in relation to the Bhima Koregaon violence. They have been charged under various section of draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and are yet to get bail even after months of being under custody. Incidentally, the chargesheet filed in their case finds no mention of the Bhima Koregaon violence!
 
On June 6, 2018, five others were arrested —Sudhir Dhawale, the editor of the progressive Marathi magazine Vidrohi and one of the organisers of the Bhima-Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyan; Professor Shoma Sen, the then head of the Department of English, Nagpur University; Advocate Surendra Gadling, general secretary, Indian Association of People’s Lawyers; Mahesh Raut, anti-displacement activist from Bharat Jan Andolan and a former fellow at the Prime Minister’s Rural Development (PMRD); and Rona Wilson, public relations secretary, Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners. The planned raids and subsequent arrest of June 6 were similar to the ones on August 28.
 
On October 24, the Bombay High Court quashed the Pune Sessions Court order granting extension of 90 days to the state to file the charge sheet in the matter pursuant to arrests on 6th June 2018 of the earlier five activists – Professor Shoma Sen, Advocate Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale, paving way for the possibility of their bail. A stay was granted until November 1, to allow the state to appeal from the order. The state has filed an SLP challenging the order in the Supreme Court which is fixed for hearing on Monday.
 
Motive of State- targeting activists
The State has played foul in the entire investigation. To begin, with no action has been taken against the right-wing leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote, against whom the first FIR (2/2018) was filed for inciting violence. State-sponsored news channel displayed the ‘sensitive’, ‘controversial’ letters allegedly written by Bharadwaj to some comrade in national channel even before they made it to the courtrooms. Joint Commissioner of Police in one instance and ADG (Law and Order) in the other, breaking all codes of neutrality and discretion, conducted press conference where all the alleged letters which have formed the basis of the investigation were handed out to the media organizations, paving way for a vicious media trial. Even the dissenting judgement of Justice Chandrachud chided the Pune police for the purported and disturbing intention to carry out a media trial against the accused.

Interestingly, Bhima Koregaon and the FIR under which the activists are arrested are not even the important factors in the case anymore. Very slyly, these alleged letters have been used to slap the draconian UAPA against the activists who have been striving to bring out the anti-people policies of the present ruling government, BJP.
 
Condemnation of bail rejections and arrests
We, at MRSD question the grounds of rejection of bail despite there being no substantial evidence against activists Arun Ferriera, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bhardwaj. MRSD extends their continued and whole-hearted support to the activists facing the reprisals. The manner in which the state has been hellbent on depriving the liberty of the activists, while openly violating every norm of natural justice throughout the investigation in the case, is appalling and an assault on democracy. On the other hand, there is a clear attempt to divert attention from the investigation into the role of Hindutva groups in attacking the Bhima Koregaon visitors and prosecuting the real culprits, which has been pushed to the sidelines to protect the perpetrators of violence. We urge the conscientious citizens and media to highlight the lapses in the investigation and the criminalisation of these activists by the state.
 
We emphatically condemn the continued use of the draconian UAPA in a concerted manner to target dissenting and inconvenient voices alike. UAPA, an act that came into existence in 1967, has no place in a democratic society. UAPA has been regularly used against Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, Activists, Lawyers, Journalists etc. in order to spread a reign of terror. UAPA especially makes it difficult to get bail and has stringent provisions, on account of which people can be perpetually imprisoned without any trial. It is a draconian law that can be invoked on vague and untrue grounds.
 
We would like to draw the attention of media organisations to the Bhima Koregaon Judicial commission hearings that are going on to investigate the failures of Maharashtra government in being able to control the violence that ensued after alleged Hindutva groups attacked Dalit Bahujans at Bhima Koregaon memorial on January 1. We would like to strongly urge the Maharashtra government to take stringent immediate action on the original FIR lodged in the Bhima Koregaon case which implicates Hindutva leaders Manohar Bhide and Milind Ekbote and to stop the diversionary tactics being employed to falsely implicate and target activists with long-standing credibility working for the rights of the people. In the wake of news reports of the police having dropped criminal cases against the two Hindutva leaders for rioting in the past, there is a strong suspicion of foul play to protect these individuals with criminal antecedents.
 
We Demand –
1. The immediate and unconditional release of democratic rights activists, workers, families falsely arrested in alleged connection to the violence at Bhima Koregaon.
2. That the false UAPA charges against the activists, workers, Dalits, Muslims, Adivasis be dropped.
3. That the real culprits of the Bhima Koregaon violence, Hindutva leaders Manohar Bhide and Milind Ekbote who instigated and planned the attacks on visitors to Bhima Koregaon, be arrested and prosecuted under law.
4. That the draconian UAPA be repealed.
5. That the attacks, criminalisation and reprisals by the state on dissenting voices in civil society, democratic rights activists and to stifle constitutional freedoms be stopped immediately.
 
MUMBAI RISES TO SAVE DEMOCRACY Participating organisations
1.     People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
2.     Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR),
3.     Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP)
4..     New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)
5.     Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI)
6.     Student Islamic Organisation (SIO),
7.     Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), IIT
8.     Police Reforms Watch
9.     Lokraj Sangathan
10.   Spark magazine
11.   National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO)
12.   Bebaak Collective
13.   Forum Against Oppression of Women (FAOW)
14.   LABIA- A Queer Feminist LBT Collective
15.   Jagrut Kamgar Manch (JKM)
16.   Majlis
17.   Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD)
18.   Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS)
19.   Bharat Bachao Andolan (BBA)
20.   Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF)
21.   People’s Commission on Shrinking Democratic Spaces (PCSDS)
22.   Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)
23.   Cause Lawyers Alliance
24.   National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)
25.   Kashtakari Sanghatna, district Palghar.
26.   Sarvahara Jan Andolan, district Raighad
27.   Shramik Mukti Sanghatna, district Thane.
28.   Human Rights Defenders Alert (HRDA)
29.   Innocence Network
30.   Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR)
31.   Students of St. Xavier’s
32.   Students Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) students
33.   FTII Alumni
34.   The Leaflet
35.   Awaaz-E-Niswaan
36.   Bastar Solidarity Network (BSN)   
37.   Satyashodhak Feminist Collective
38.   Indian Christian Women’s Movement – Mumbai Chapter
39.   Nivarra Hakk Suraksha Samiti
40.  Jagrut Kashtakari Sanghatana, Raigad
41.  Justice and Peace Commission and Others
 
Speakers:
Noted Rights’ activist Teesta Setalvad, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP)
Adv Nilima Dutta, Trustee, Lawyers Collective
Police reforms activist Dolphy D’souza, Police Reforms Watch
Adv Susan Abraham, advocate practising in Bombay High Court
 

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EXCLUSIVE: Sudha Bharadwaj’s daughter pens a touching letter about her mother

Sudha Bhardwaj, long time trade union activist, the general secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and a National Law University (NLU), Delhi visiting professor is under house arrest since August 29, after her house was raided by Maharashtra police on August 28 allegedly in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence and protests. Pan India raids and arrests took place on August 28 with several other prominent human rights activists and defenders facing the ire of a hostile state machinery, hell bent to silence these diverse voices of dissent. A writ petition was moved by Romila Thapar and others on August 29 in which it was alleged that the arrested activists were being targeted for critiquing the government.

The Supreme Court had ordered house arrest of the activists till the next hearing, September 6. The Maharashtra police, in a counter affidavit filed on September 5 had alleged that the petition wasn’t maintainable because the petitioners were “strangers” and asked for the cancellation of house arrests, but the counsel for the accused had already submitted affidavits in which the accused submitted that they can be considered as the petitioners. The Supreme Court then extended their house arrest till September 12 and also slammed the Maharashtra police for “being out of line” in conducting press conference and giving public statement about the accused.

Several accounts have emerged in the media since, describing how Sudha Bhardwaj dedicated her life for people, her contributions to the legal rights of the most marginalized, her contributions as a teacher, her contributions as a trade union activist, working closely with Shankar Guha Niyogi. However, in this exclusive hand-written letter, her daughter Maaysha has come out for the first time describing her struggles as the daughter of a human rights defender who dedicated her life to the service of people. Maaysha says, “If fighting for the rights of Adivasis, fighting for the rights of workers and peasants, fighting against repression and exploitation, and giving up one’s whole life for them, is being a Naxalite, then I guess Naxalites are pretty good”
(The letter was penned in Hindi in the Roman script and translated into English by Sudha Bhardwaj herself)

The entire handwritten letter may be read here:
 

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