Left leaning poet & writer Varavara Rao arrested

: Left leaning poet and writer Varavara Rao was arrested from his residence here today for his alleged links with Maoists.

He was arrested from his residence at Gandhi Nagar by a police team from Pune.

A senior police official here said the team conducted searches at the residences of Rao's two daughters and a journalist, among others, before arresting him.

"Pune police sought our assistance. We have provided them with local force to assist in conducting searches and making the arrest. They arrested Varavara Rao. He will be produced in a court and taken to Pune on transit warrant," Deputy Commissioner of Police ( Central Zone) Viswa Prasad told PTI.

Besides Rao, left wing activist Sudha Bhardwaj was also arrested at Faridabad.

Protesting against the arrest, Civil Liberties Committee president GaddamLaxman said they would fight the issue legally.

"The BJP Government is attacking intellectuals physically and mentally tortutring them. We are consulting legal experts. We will fight legally. National Human Rights Commission should take this up suo moto. His arrest is a gross violation of human rights," Laxman told reporters.

The raids and arrests were carried out as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event called 'Elgar Parishad' (conclave) held in Pune last year.

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.

Rao's name had cropped up in a letter seized by police during searches at the premises of one of the five people arrested in June in connection with the Elgar Parishad event held on December 31, 2017 to commemorate 200 years of the Koregaon Bhima battle in 1818.