The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a second supplementary charge sheet against seven accused and one absconding accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case .
The central agency has named Father Stan Swamy , 83, Prof Anand Teltumbde, 70, Gautam Navlakha, 67, Prof Hany Babu, 54, members of cultural group Kabir Kala Manch - Sagar Gorkhe, 32, Ramesh Gaichor, 38 and Jyoti Jagtap 32. The absconding accused is the brother of Mr Teltumbde – Milind Teltumbde.
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The press release issued by NIA mentions, “All these accused conspired with other accused persons to further the ideology of terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist) and abetted violence, brought into hatred and incited disaffection towards the Government established by law and promoted enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, caste and community. The absconding accused Milind Teltumbde also organised training camps for imparting weapons training to other accused persons.”
The agency claims, “The investigation revealed that the tentacles of conspiracy were not only spread throughout the country but also extended beyond India. The incriminating documents recovered from the accused include their discreet communications with other Maoist cadres regarding conspiracy related to violent incident of Bhima Koregaon as a part of their well chalked-out strategy. It also included various documents regarding mobilisation against the Constitutionally established Government by the Maoist cadres, information about movement of the security forces with an intention to cause heavy damage to the State. Discreet codes were used for secret communication amongst themselves to avoid detection by security forces regarding their conspiracy and planning.”
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The agency goes on to say, “Investigation also revealed a systematic network of Maoists operating for supply of arms and ammunitions having close nexus with other banned proscribed organisation within and outside India. The Strategy & Tactics adopted by Maoists to carry out so-called urban revolution with their frontal outfits has also been revealed during investigation. Beside this, funding activities of Maoist cadres and their sympathisers to carry out Maoist work in rural as well urban areas came to the fore.”
Roles of accused as per NIA
Anand Teltumbde, played an active role with other Maoist cadres and received funds from them for carrying out the activities. Incriminating documents revealing his deep involvement with CPI (Maoist) activities also came to the fore.
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Gautam Navlakha’s active role and involvement also came up in the secret communications with CPI (Maoist) cadres. He was assigned the task to unite intellectuals against the Government. He was part of some fact-finding committees and was assigned the task to recruit cadres for guerrilla activities of CPI (Maoist). His links with Inter-Services Intelligence also came to fore.
Hany Babu, was instrumental in organising visits of foreign Journalists to CPI (Maoist) areas and was assigned present and future task of Revolutionary Democratic Front, a banned organisation in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He was in contact with banned terrorist organisation Kanglepak Communist Party of Manipur and was instrumental in making efforts for release of convicted accused G. N. Saibaba on the directions of CPI (Maoist) and was raising funds for the same.
Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap, are trained cadres of CPI (Maoist) and members of Kabir Kala Manch, a frontal organisation of CPI (Maoist). They attended meetings for the organisation of Elgar Parishad programme with other co-accused as a part of well chalked out conspiracy. They propagated the agenda of CPI (Maoist) and made planning and co-ordination all over Maharashtra.
Stan Swamy is CPI (Maoist) cadre and was actively involved in its activities. He propagated among cadres that the arrest of urban CPI (Maoist) cadres from different parts of country, particularly in Maharashtra has caused a huge irrevocable damage to CPI (Maoist). He received funds from other Maoist cadres for the furtherance of the activities of CPI (Maoist).
Was cooperating
Father Stan Swamy, who was arrested on Thursday from his house in Ranchi, has been sent to judicial custody till October 23. He will be in Taloja Central jail in Mumbai with the other co-accused.
Senior advocate Mihir Desai representing Mr. Swamy told The Hindu , “Where is the need to arrest an 83-year-old man after he co-operated with the investigation and did not abscond.”
2018 chargesheet
The first chargesheet in the case was filed in November 2018 against Sudhir Dhawale, an activist, Surendra Gadling, a criminal lawyer practising in Nagpur, Dr. Shoma Sen, a professor and Head of Department of English at Nagpur University, activists Rona Wilson and Mahesh Raut.
In February 2019, the central agency filed their first supplementary chargesheet against poet Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves. It is alleged that all accused are active members of a banned Maoist group.
The NIA took over the investigation from the Pune police on January 2020. All accused are booked for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches at the Elgar Parishad conclave at Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon war memorial the next day.
