Letters alleging links to Maoists concocted to criminalise me, human rights activists, claims lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj

Human rights lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who is under house arrest, said a purported letter shown by the Pune Police is a “mixture of innocuous”. The letter allegedly indicates Bharadwaj has links to Maoists.

Sudha Bharadwaj, one of the five activists arrested in multi-city raids by the Maharashtra Police, has rejected the claims made by the investigating agency and said a purported letter implicating her was “totally concocted” to criminalise her and human rights organisations.

Human rights advocate Sudha Bharadwaj after she was arrested by the Pune Police in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence, in Faridabad on August 28, 2018. (PTI)

The police had Friday claimed that Bharadwaj had written to one “Com Prakash”.

Reacting to this in a handwritten statement, Bharadwaj, who is under house arrest, said the purported letter shown by the Pune Police is a “mixture of innocuous”.

She claimed a number of human rights lawyers, activists and organisations were deliberately named to cast a stigma over them, obstruct their work and incite hatred against them.

“It is a totally concocted letter fabricated to criminalise me and other human rights lawyers, activists and organisations,” the letter said.

Read | Varavara Rao to Sudha Bhardwaj, who are the activists arrested over alleged Maoist links

In a media briefing Friday, the police had released details of seized letters related to five activists arrested in June in connection with the Bhima Koregoan violence that took place in January.

Early this week, the police raided the homes of activists and lawyers from five states – Varavara Roa in Hyderabad, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, Bharadwaj in Fariadabad and Gautam Navalakha in Delhi.