The Pune city police on Thursday has filed a charge sheet against alleged five Urban Naxals arrested in June this year for their alleged Maoist links and in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to kill Prime Minister Modi.

According to the reports, Pune police in its charge sheet has said that some Maoist leaders were planning to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and were conspiring to procure arms and ammunition to wage a war against the country. The police have submitted that the Maoists were attempting to mobilise and incite Dalits and the Elgar Parishad violence occurred in Pune last December was also part of their strategy.

The 5,000-page charge sheet filed by the Pune police has names of 10 persons, including Nagpur-based lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale of Republican Panthers, all were arrested on June 6. Addition to these five, absconding underground Maoists Milind Teltumbde, Prakash alias Ritupam Goswami, Prashant Bose alias Kishan da, Manglu and Deepu have also been named in the charge sheet.

“As a part of this strategy, Sudhir Dhavale and other members of Kabir Kala Manch (KKM, a cultural group) spread hatred by giving inciting speeches, presenting distorted history and staging provocative skits and songs,” it said.

- Advertisement -

It further stated that the larger conspiracy of the CPI-Maoists was to overthrow the democratic system in the country and the arrested alleged Urban Naxals were working to achieve it. The charge sheet, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC, was filed in the court of District & Sessions Judge Kishor D Vadane here.

The police revealed that the Elgar Parishad was organised with “inspiration, money and directions” of Maoists. The police have cited several documents seized from the Maoist leaders to make the claim on Modi’s assassination plan.

Shivaji Pawar, Assistant Commissioner of Police and the investigating officer, said Pune Police recorded the statement of surrendered Maoist leader Pahad Singh, who gave details about the network of Maoists in urban areas.

“Singh gave details of Milind Teltumbade’s role. He revealed that Teltumbade has the responsibility of spreading Maoist network in urban areas and he is particularly involved in mobilizing the Dalit community for Maoist activities,” he said.

The five suspected ‘Urban Maoists’ were arrested by the Pune police on 6 June, over charges of organising the Elgaar Parishad held at Pune’s Shaniwarwada on 31 December 2017, which is believed to have instigated the Bhima-Koregaon violence a day later.

In addition to these five, in a nation-wide crackdown, the police had arrested activist P Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, ‘human rights activist’ and ‘journalist’ Gautam Navlakha in Delhi, ‘activists Vernon Gonzalves and Arun Pereira in Mumbai, ‘civil rights’ lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj in Delhi, civil rights ‘activist’ Anand Teltumbde in Goa and ‘activist’ Stan Swamy in Ranchi in relation with Elgar Parishad violence and plot to kill the Prime Minister Modi.