: After eight months of investigation into the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon incident, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a 10,000-page charge sheet.){kind=link}
New Delhi (ILNS): After eight months of investigation into the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon incident, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a 10,000-page charge sheet. Following fresh evidence it came across in the last few weeks, the central agency named eight accused: activist Gautam Navlakha, Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu, Goa Institute of Management professor Anand Teltumbde and three artistes of Kabir Kala Manch — Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and his wife Jyoti Jagtap.
These eight accused persons are as follows :
i. Anand Teltumbde, r/o Dadar (E), Mumbai.
ii. Gautam Navlakha, r/o, Kalkaji, South Delhi, New Delhi.
iii. Hany Babu, r/o Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
iv. Sagar Gorkhe, r/o Wakad, Pune, Maharashtra.
v. Ramesh Gaichor, r/o Jai Jawan Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra.
vi. Jyoti Jagtap, r/o Shivneri, Kondhawa, Maharashtra.
vii. Stan Swamy, r/o Ranchi, Jharkhand.
viii. Milind Teltumbde. r/o Wani, Yavatmal, Maharashtra.
Today, NIA filed supplementary charge-sheet in Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad Case in NIA Special Court at Mumbai against eight accused persons for the offences under sections 120B, 115, 121, 121A, 124A, 153A, 201, 505(1)(b) and 34 of IPC and sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 18A, 18B, 20, 38, 39 & 40 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The charge sheet says, those indicted while operating as “part of the urban components of the Naxals were also conspiring with other accused to further the ideology of the CPI-Maoist political outfit.”
“Investigation also revealed a systematic network of Maoists operating for supply of arms & ammunitions having close nexus with other banned proscribed organisation within & 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 & their sympathisers to carry out Maoist work in rural as well urban areas came to the fore.
NIA investigation revealed that the accused persons viz. Anand Teltumbde, Gautam Navlakha, Hany Babu, Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, Jyoti Jagtap and Stan Swamy conspired with other accused persons to further the ideology of terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist) and abetted violence, brought into hatred & 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”, NIA stated in its press release.
A latest arrest in the case was made yesterday in Ranchi of Stan Swamy an 83-year-old and a member of the CPI (M). The NIA has claimed that it discovered financial transactions between Swamy and an associate, to propagate ideology and activities of the party.
The Bhima Koregaon incident dates back to January 1, 2018 when violence erupted at an event to mark 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and many injured, including 10 policemen.
Subsequently, on January 8, a complaint was filed by one Tushar Damgude with the Pune police against Gorkhe, Gaichor, Jagtapand Deepak Dhengle of the Kabir Kala Manch, and Harshali Potdar and Sudhir Dhawale of Dalit rights group Republican Panthers for allegedly instigating communal tensions by way of delivering communal speeches at the Elgaar Parishad’s bicentenary event.
The Pune police had filed 58 cases against 162 people during a state-wide shutdown in January following clashes in Bhima-Koregaon.
-ILNS