Bhima-Koregaon case: Human rights activists slam police action

Susan Abraham, Anand Teltumbde and Justice Kolse-Patil at the conference yesterday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Mid-way through a packed press conference on yesterday at the Press Club at Azad Maidan, advocate Mihir Desai stated triumphantly, "The Supreme Court has ruled that five activists arrested in raids by the police cannot be held in custody, but will be held under house arrest. This is a slap on the face of the government." The room, bursting at its seams with supporters of at least 30 civil society organisations and the press, at a conference to condemn the arrests of activists, burst into applause. The police on Tuesday arrested five activists - Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navalakha, P Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves - in pan-India raids.

They have been arrested as part of a probe into the Elgaar Parishad and subsequent Bhima Koregaon riots. Desai's interjection came when speaker Susan Abraham was speaking, but it was Desai who began the meet, after some struggle to restore order as the room got hopelessly packed.

Order, order
Desai said, "Our supporters must move out of the room because this is a press conference. There is a loudspeaker outside through which they can track the proceedings." At Desai's statement advocate Nilofer B was overheard telling Desai, "Let us not give so much priority to the mainstream media which does not report extensively. There is no use giving them priority." Desai gave an entire chronology of events leading to the raids and to illustrate the illegal nature of the arrests, he said, "When lawyer Surendra Gadling was arrested earlier, the police raided his home despite the application for permission being rejected twice."

Desai, like the other speakers, was categorical in slamming the UAPA which, he stated, "has been made for this purpose, which is to incarcerate people for long periods of time, without any proof."

Modi media
The speakers wanted five conditions fulfilled: release those arrested, withdraw the FIR against them, compensate them, return belongings that have been confiscated and take action against the police and authorities behind the illegal arrests.

Speaker Hasina Khan, founder, Bebaak Collective, a group of different primarily Muslim women's groups, panned the government for "fascist Hinutvadi ideology" and said "we live in a situation more dangerous that the Emergency". Hasina said, "Sexual assault cases have spiked under this government." She added that these were attempts to distract attention from those issues. Hasina slammed the section of the media as "Modi media" and added that Amit Shah was a, "violent person but his illegal acts are not reported by the Modi media." A member of the audience reacted that speakers "must stick to the topic."

A witch-hunt
Lawyer S Rajeshwar spoke for Arun Ferreira, saying "Arun has been working as my junior for two years. He is sincere and hardworking. He was defending some of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon case, and today, the atmosphere is such that those who defend the accused are arrested. People need to raise their voice and condemn this witch-hunt."

The activists were unanimous that letters being released as proof of the activists' involvement in assassination plots to kill Narendra Modi, are fabricated, and they have not been admitted in a court of law, only shown to select sections of the media," they collectively said.

No connection
Justice B G Kolse-Patil, organiser of the Elgaar Parishad, stated, "We always wanted an RSS-mukt Bharat, we do not want any communal party at the helm. The Sanatan Sanstha arrests are to divert attention and the current arrests are being made to spoil names. We [Elgaar Parishad] are not connected to naxals and we have not been financed by them. It is also no crime to have books on Maoism in your home, how can one be arrested for that? Arrests should only happen for a crime," he said.

Susan Abraham, partner of Vernon Gonsalves, said, "The state is making us dance. My house was raided at 6 am and the police left at 1.45 pm with Vernon. They were there for more than six hours? I asked, did you spend even six minutes in Sambhaji Bhide's home?" Abraham added, "The authorities and police keep harping about Bhima Koregaon, but there is no connection, they should drop the charge. The government does not ban Sanatan Sanstha, which has carried out assassinations, but arrests activists on fabricated letters."

Urban Naxal
By now, a crush of people had gathered outside, but could not get a foot in. Television mike wires carpeted the floor, as Anand Teltumbde, whose house was searched near Goa, said mockingly after citing a retinue of his impressive degrees, "this is the face of the urban naxal. I have no time for this nonsense." Teltumbde's argument was, "This action can happen to anybody today. To demolish somebody's reputation is not a joke, I do believe in Marxist theories, but that does not make me a Marxist," he said, as Kolse-Patil slammed PM Narendra Modi as "killing for years" and waving a book on fake encounters, of people killed for plotting to assassinate Modi.

Also Read: Bhima Koregaon Case: SC Orders Maharashtra Police To Keep Activists Under House-Arrest

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates