Bhima Koregaon case: NIA files chargesheet against 8 persons

New Delhi/Ranchi/Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said Friday that it has filed a chargesheet against eight persons in connection with the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case, including Stan Swamy, who was arrested from Ranchi Thursday night.

An NIA official said that it has filed the chargesheet against Swamy, Anand Teltumbde, Gautam Navlakha, Hany Babu, Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, Jyoti Jagtap and Milind Teltumbde at a special NIA court in Mumbai.

The official said that Swamy, 83, who is reportedly an active member of the CPI (Maoist), was arrested from Ranchi Thursday night. He is being flown to Mumbai Friday and will be produced before a special NIA court there. Till date, the NIA has arrested 16 persons in connection with the case.

The official said that Swamy also received funds through an associate for furtherance of Maoist activities. According to NIA officials, Swamy is the convenor of PPSC, the frontal organisation of CPI (Maoist).

“During searches, documents related to communications for furthering the activities of CPI (Maoist) and propaganda material of the CPI (Maoist) were seized from his possession,” the official said.

The official said that he was also found to be in contact with some of the conspirators named in the chargesheet — Babu and Navlakha.

He was also in touch with Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj and Anand Teltumbde for the furtherance of Maoist activities.

The NIA had taken over the probe from the Maharashtra Police January 24 this year.

The case pertains to inciting people and giving provocative speeches during the Elgar Parishad organised by the activists of Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada in Maharashtra’s Pune on December 31, 2017, which promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to violence resulting in loss of life and property and state-wide agitation in Maharashtra.

During investigation, it was revealed that senior leaders of CPI (Maoist), an organisation banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were in contact with the organisers of Elgar Parishad as well as the accused arrested in the case to spread the ideology of Maoism and encourage unlawful activities.

The Pune Police had filed a chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet in this case November 15, 2018 and February 21, 2019, respectively. After taking up the probe, the anti-terror probe agency had arrested Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha on April 14 this year. Hany Babu Musaliyavirtil Tarayil was arrested on July 28.

The NIA arrested Gorkhe and Gaichor September 7, while Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap was nabbed September 8 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).