SC defers hearing in Bhima Koregaon case to Dec 3

The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing in the Bhima Koregaon violence case till December 3.

Earlier on Thursday, the Pune Police filed a charge sheet against ten people, including five arrested activists- Roma Wilson, Shoma Sen, Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut and Surendra Gadling and five absconding accused- Commander Dipak Milind Teltumbde, Kishanda Prashant Bose, Prakash Naveen Rituoam Goswami, Commanders Deepu and Manglu

The police, in its charge sheet, alleged that the "entire campaigning for Elgaar Parishad and speeches delivered at Elgaar Parishad has aggravated the Bhima Koregaon violence."

During the course of the investigation, the police have examined around 80 witnesses. Pahad Singh, a Naxal who had earlier surrendered was also examined by the Pune Police. During the interrogation, Singh revealed that Milind Teltumbde is the leader of Urban Naxalism.

The charge sheet further states that a letter recovered from one of the arrested accused revealed that a conspiracy was being framed to plan a Rajiv Gandhi like assassination to take down Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the investigation, it was learnt that Wilson along with Kishanda, secretary of the Eastern regional bureau of CPI(M) and several wanted Maoist had planned assassination of Prime Minister. It was also revealed they were involved in collecting illegal arms and ammunition with the intent to call a battle between Indian democracy and citizens.

The five activists were detained on August 28 and late put under house arrest for their alleged involvement in the violence that erupted in Maharashtra's Pune district in January this year during an event organised to mark 200 years of the Bhima Koregaon battle.