NEW DELHI: Maharashtra police on Tuesday raided the homes of prominent Left-wing activists in several states and arrested at least five of them for suspected Maoist links, sparking a chorus of outraged protests from human rights defenders.

The raids were carried out as part of a probe into the violence between dalits and the upper caste Peshwas at Bhima-Koregaon village near Pune after an event called Elgar Parishad, or conclave, on December 31 last year. Here are the key developments:

* Searches were carried out at the residences of prominent Telugu poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonzalves and Arun Farreira in Mumbai, trade union activist Sudha Bhardwaj in Faridabad, and civil liberties activist Gautam Navalakha in New Delhi.

* Rao, Bhardwaj, Farreira, Gonzalves and Navlakha were arrested after the police claimed to have recovered "some incriminating documents" during the searches.

* Although Navalakha was also arrested, the Delhi high court, however, ordered police not to take him out of the national capital at least until Wednesday.

* According to some unconfirmed reports, others whose residences were raided are Susan Abraham, Kranthi Tekula, Father Stan Swamy in Ranchi and Anand Teltumbde in Goa.

* Civil Liberties Committee president Gaddam Laxman accused the BJP government of "attacking intellectuals physically and mentally torturing them".

* Reacting to the arrests, Amnesty International urged the Centre to "protect people's rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly" instead of creating an "atmosphere of fear".

* Noted historian Ramachandra Guha called the action "absolutely chilling" and demanded the intervention of the Supreme Court to stop this "persecution and harassment" of independent voices.

* In June, Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale was arrested from his home in Mumbai, while lawyer Surendra Gadling, activist Mahesh Raut and Shoma Sen were picked up from Nagpur and Rona Wilson was arrested from his flat in Munirka in Delhi in simultaneous raids.

* The violent clashes took place in January this year between dalit groups and supporters of right-wing Hindu organisations after the 200th anniversary celebration of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in Pune district on December 31, last year.

(With agency inputs)

