The Maharashtra government, on 5 September, submitted a strong rebuttal in the Supreme Court saying that the five activists were arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case not due to their “dissent” or “difference in their political or other ideologies.”
In the affidavit, filed by the Assistant Commissioner of Pune Police, the state government said, “they are involved in not only planning and preparing for violence but were in the process of creating large-scale violence, destruction of property, resulting into chaos in the society.”
It further emphasised that these activists along with others were planning to “carry out violence, planned ambush/rebellion against the “enemy” (which is our country and its security forces)."
Revealing that the police is in possession of compelling evidence against the activists, the affidavit added, “This Hon’ble Court is dealing with persons against whom cogent evidence has so far come on record, showing that they are active members of the banned terrorist organisation namely, Communist Party of India (Maoist).”
On 28 August, Pune Police had arrested lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, civil liberties activists Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Fereira, and Telugu poet P Varavara Rao from different parts of India, as part of investigations into the 1 January Bhima Koregaon caste violence.
Subsequently, a writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court by well-known historian Romila Thapar and four other noted persons, challenging the arrests. Hearing the petition, the top court had directed that the five activists should be kept under house arrest until the next date of hearing on 6 September.
During the hearing, the court had noted that “Dissent is a safety valve of democracy. If it is not allowed, the pressure cooker will burst.”
With an intent to contend the arguments over dissent, the affidavit filed by Maharashtra government further read, “It is, however, submitted that the instant case is a case in which five accused persons for whose benefit the present petition is filed are not arrested based upon any dissenting views expressed by them or difference in their political or other ideologies.”
(With IANS inputs)
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