NHRC seeks report from Maharashtra on arrests

Situation ‘worse than Emergency’, says opposition

01:17Bhima Koregaon: 5 activists arrested for alleged Maoist links

Watch: 5 arrested for suspected Maoist links

‘Reds, Elgar Parishad have no connection’

PUNE: The Pune police on Wednesday maintained that they have collected “highly incriminating evidence” that establishes a link between the banned CPI (Maoist) and the five arrested activists. The activists were arrested on Tuesday following the probe relating to the Elgar Parishad held on the eve of the January 1 violence in Koregaon Bhima .Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Shirish Sardeshpande said, “The evidence reveals the involvement of (left-leaning cultural organisation) Kabir Kala Manch and the arrested activists. Leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist) had provided funds to KKM and the arrested activists. There was an elaborate communication between CPI (Maoist) leaders and the activists through e-mails and letters. During a meeting, some important decisions were taken which we consider as incriminating evidence.”He said this when joint police commissioner Shivaji Bodkhe and he briefed reporters about the progress in the case.A senior police officer told TOI, “Police are in receipt of the minutes of a meeting of the CPI (Maoist) central committee which took place in March 2017 following the conviction of Delhi University professor G N Saibaba. In the meeting, the committee planned to raise funds for the agitation against the government on various platforms.”The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the arrest of five activists in different cities and issued notice to the Maharashtra government. The NHRC said it appeared that the police did not follow the standard operating procedure while making the arrests.The arrest of human rights activists by Pune police drew criticism from opposition parties. The opposition deemed it a “manifestation of autocracy” and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury called it a “blatant attack on democratic rights in the country”, worse than the declaration of Emergency in 1975.A day after the arrest of five activists on allegations of Maoist links in connection to the Elgar Parishad held in Pune last year, Justice (retd) B G Kolse Patil who was one of the organisers of the event strongly denied any Maoist involvement. “There is absolutely no connection between the Elgar Parishad and Maoists,” said Justice Kolse Patil.