Bhima-Koregaon violence: NHRC issues notices to Maharashtra government, DGP alleging SOP not followed in arrests of activists

A day after five activists were arrested in connection with Bhima-Koregaon violence, the NHRC on Wednesday issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the state's police chief, saying "it appears" that standard operating procedure was not properly followed in the arrests and this may amount to a violation of their human rights.

The Maharashtra chief secretary and the director general of police have been asked to submit a 'factual report' in the matter within four weeks.

A senior official of the National Human Rights Commission said the notices were sent after the rights panel took cognisance of the reports of arrests in multiple cities on Tuesday. "On the basis of the media reports, the Commission has observed that it appears that the standard operating procedure in connection with these arrests has not been properly followed by the police authorities, which may amount to the violation of their human rights," an official said. 

Earlier on Tuesday several prominent activists -- P Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Sudha Bhardwaj and her daughter Anu Bhardwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves were detained by the police for their suspected Maoist links. The arrest took place after police conducted multiple raids across five states in Maharashtra, Goa, Telangana, Delhi and Jharkhand as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune in 2017.

The raids began early on Tuesday and were conducted at Mumbai, Ranchi, Hyderabad, Faridabad, Delhi and Thane. All the accused have been booked under sections 153 A, 505(1) B, 117, 120 B, 13, 16, 18, 20, 38, 39, 40 and UPA, said news agency ANI.

Quoting media reports, the NHRC said the Delhi High Court had stayed Navlakha's transit remand, observing that police have not been able to satisfactorily explain the offence he had been arrested for.

"The decision on a transit remand for lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj is also pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Faridabad. The activist has told the court that she had nothing to do with the incident for which she has been arrested. According to her, the FIR did not even name her and she is being harassed and arrested only because of her ideology," the NHRC said in a statement.

"In the case of activist Gautam Navlakha, reportedly, the court has questioned how Pune police managed to get a transit remand from a Delhi court without any local witness," it added. The court, it said, has directed translation of police documents into English which are in vernacular language.

Varavara Rao was arrested from Pune. Raids were conducted at his residences in Hyderabad and Telangana. Varavara's name had cropped up in a letter seized by the police during searches at the premises of one of the five people arrested in June in connection with the Elgar Parishad event on December 31 last year to commemorate 200 years of the Koregaon Bhima battle in 1818.

Gautam Navlakha was arrested from Delhi and was produced before Saket court. He was produced before the Saket police following which the police got his transit remand till August 30. However, shortly after the transit orders, a plea was filed in the Delhi High Court following which the court stayed his transit remand to Pune. As per the court's direction, Navlakha would be put under the house arrest until the case is heard by Wednesday.

Renowned Human Rights activist and lawyer Sudha Bhardawaj was picked up from Faridabad and produced before a local court by a team of Maharashtra police. Her daughter Anu Bhardwaj was also taken into custody from her Badrapur residence in Delhi. 

Arun Ferreira was detained from Pune and activist Vernon Gonsalves was detained from Mumbai. 

Raids were conducted at Stan Swamy's residential premises at Ranchi. But he wasn't arrested.

Civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde's residence in Goa was also raided by the police, however, the cops were unable to trace him. All the accused, including Navalakha, who have been remanded by the court will be taken to Pune. 

In June, five people were arrested for having close Maoist links after they allegedly made provocative speeches at the event, triggering violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune, according to an FIR registered at the Vishrambaug Police Station after the event.

Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale was arrested from his home in Mumbai, while lawyer Surendra Gadling, activist Mahesh Raut and Shoma Sen were picked up from Nagpur and Rona Wilson was arrested from his flat in Munirka in Delhi in simultaneous raids in June. Police said probes were being conducted at homes of the five arrested and those who were directly or indirectly connected with them.