NEW DELHI/RANCHI/MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Friday that it has filed a chargesheet against eight persons in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon Elgar Parishad case, including Stan Swamy, who was arrested from Ranchi on Thursday night. An NIA official said that it has filed the charge sheet against Swamy, AnandTeltumbde, GautamNavlakha, HanyBabu, SagarGorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, JyotiJagtap and MilindTeltumbde at a special NIA court in Mumbai.
The official said that Swamy, 83, who is reportedly an active member of the CPI (Maoist), was arrested from Ranchi on Thursday night.
He is being flown to Mumbai on Friday and will be produced before a special NIA court there. Till date, the NIA has arrested 16 persons in connection with the case.
The official said that Swamy also received funds through an associate for furtherance of Maoist activities. According to NIA officials, Swamy is the convenor of PPSC, the frontal organisation of CPI (Maoist).
"During searches, documents related to communications for furthering the activities of CPI (Maoist) and propaganda material of the CPI (Maoist) were seized from his possession," the official said.
The official said that he was also found to be in contact with some of the conspirators named in the chargesheet — Babu and Navlakha.
He was also in touch with SudhirDhawale, Rona Wilson, SurendraGadling, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, ShomaSen, Mahesh Raut, VaravaraRao, SudhaBharadwaj and AnandTeltumbde for the furtherance of Maoist activities.
The NIA had taken over the probe from the Maharashtra Police on January 24 this year.
The case pertains to inciting people and giving provocative speeches during the Elgar Parishadorganised by the activists of Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada in Maharashtra's Pune on December 31, 2017, which promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to violence resulting in loss of life and property and state-wide agitation in Maharashtra.
During investigation, it was revealed that senior leaders of CPI (Maoist), an organisation banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were in contact with the organisers of Elgar Parishad as well as the accused arrested in the case to spread the ideology of Maoism and encourage unlawful activities.
The Pune Police had filed a chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet in this case on November 15, 2018 and February 21, 2019, respectively. After taking up the probe, the anti-terror probe agency had arrested AnandTeltumbde and GautamNavlakha on April 14 this year. HanyBabuMusaliyavirtilTarayil was arrested on July 28.
The NIA arrested Gorkhe and Gaichor on September 7, while JyotiRaghobaJagtap was nabbed on September 8 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (IANS)
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