Elgar Parishad: Family of accused write to CM, seek release on bail

Family and friends of 15 accused arrested in Elgar Parishad and Bhima-Koregaon violence case have written to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, urging him to recommend releasing the 15 accused on interim bail to the high-power committee

Family and friends of 15 accused arrested in Elgar Parishad and Bhima-Koregaon violence case have written to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, urging him to recommend releasing the 15 accused on interim bail to the high-power committee.

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In their letter, the family members said, “The Supreme Court of India has empowered state governments to form high-power committees which could then decide upon the release of prisoners in each state. We urge you to recommend to the committee to release the BK (Bhima-Koregaon) undertrials on interim bail at least. They are all law-abiding citizens who have families outside. We are worried about their safety in these desperate circumstances where everyone is at risk.”

They claimed they were worried about the health of the arrested accused as most of them are aged above 60 years and have comorbidities. “Although vaccination is believed to reduce the lethality of Covid-19 infection, it is seen that only four BK undertrial detainee — Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Shoma Sen — have received a single dose of the vaccine, as of last week of April,” reads the letter.

The families also claimed the communication channel between the accused and their family members have also been disrupted. “Although letters have been written by the BK detainees in Taloja prison on several occasions in the past two months, we, the families, have not received most letters from them. The few letters that have reached the families were posted and delivered after delay of over a month. We are also concerned that they may be receiving letters written to them by their family and friends with undue delays,” they said.