Bhima Koregaon case: Activist Varavara Rao held as his house arrest end

The Maharashtra Police on Saturday arrested activist Varavara Rao from his residence here in connection with Bhima Koregaon violence case.

This comes after Rao's house arrest extended by the Hyderabad High Court on October 25 this year ended on Saturday. He will be produced before a local court in Pune Court, said Pune Joint Commissioner of Police Shivaji Bodkhe.

Rao was one of the five activists who were detained on August 28 from various cities for their alleged involvement in the violence that erupted in Pune on January 1, 2018, during an event organised to mark 200 years of the Bhima Koregaon battle.

He was put under the house arrest in Hyderabad following an order by the Supreme Court in August. After several hearings in the matter, the apex court on September 28 turned down the request to set up a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe the Bhima Koregaon violence case.

Violence erupted during the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Bhima Koregaon battle in January this year, leaving one dead and several others injured.