Bhima-Koregaon violence case LIVE updates: Supreme Court resumes hearing on arrest of 5 rights activists

Source-newsx.com

Bhima-Koregaon case: The Supreme Court began the hearing over the arrest of five social activists — Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonzalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navalakha. Earlier, the bench hearing the petition filed by historian Romila Thapar and five other had adjourned the hearing on September 12 observing that advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi was busy in another court. The social activists were arrested by the Maharashtra Police after an FIR was filed post the Elgaar Parishad that took place on December 31, 2017. It was alleged that the activists who attended the Elgaar Parishad made inciting remarks that led to the violence at Koregaon-Bhima village in Maharashtra.

The five activists were arrested on August 28 after the Pune Police had conducted raids across India. Several houses were raided over suspicion of alleged Maoist links in the violence. As per reports, a human rights activist and lawyer Arun Ferreira said that he had been involved in the Bhima-Koregaon case because he is representing Surendra Gadling. Gadling was one of five arrested people in connecting to the violence.

As per reports, the investigating police have said that they have evidence to prove that the speech by the activists in Elgaar Parishad triggered violence. However, the claims by the police have been slammed by many, terming it as a conspiracy against the rights activists.

The activists who have been under house arrest for over 20 days have reportedly been denied the mobile phones and are being allowed to meet only selected people. Earlier, the committee formed to investigate the case had claimed that the attacks that took place on January 1 were pre-planned. The affidavit issued by the Maharashtra Government said that the arrested activists were not only involved in violence but were planning a large-scale destruction resulting into chaos.