E-Paper
Bhima Koregaon case: NIA arrests 3 accused, says they are members of Kabir Kala Manch
The case pertains to an incident of caste violence that took place near the Bhima Koregaon war memorial in Maharashtra on January 1, 2018.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested three accused in connection with the violence that took place in Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra in 2018.
While two of the accused - Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe and Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor - were arrested on Monday, the third named Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap was arrested today, the NIA said.
“The accused people are members of Kabir Kala Manch, a frontal organization of banned organisation CPI (Maoist),” the agency said.
The case pertains to an incident of violence that took place near the Bhima Koregaon war memorial (near Pune) on January 1, 2018, following alleged provocative speeches at Elgar Parishad conclave a day earlier.
The conclave was organised by the Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada in Pune.
Several vehicles were torched and one person killed in the incident, triggering large scale Dalit agitation in Maharashtra.
During the investigation, it was revealed by the NIA that senior leaders of the CPI (Maoist) were in contact with the organisers of Elgar Parishad as well as the accused arrested in the case to spread the ideology of Maoism/Naxalism and encourage unlawful activities.
The Pune police filed a charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet in the case on November 15, 2018, and February 21, 2019 respectively.
The NIA took up the investigation of the case on January 24 this year.
