Naxal letter: Digvijay dares PM, Rajnath to act against him

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh Monday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to act against him in the Elgar Parishad case.

His comments came after the Pune police said a letter seized in connection with the Elgar Parishad probe mentioned his mobile number.

Singh said "thousands of people know that mobile number" which was in the "public domain" through the Rajya Sabha portal, adding he had stopped using it four years ago.

"If Digvijay Singh is involved in any anti-national activity, then Modiji, Rajnathji and Fadnavisji are free to take action. Show the courage to take action," Singh said.

Meanwhile, Pune joint commissioner of police Shivaji Bodkhe said," As of now, the Pune police are not investigating any case against any politician". "The focus now is on the arrested activists and activities of the banned organisation," the police official said Monday evening.

Earlier Monday, a Pune police official had said the letter in question was made part of the charge-sheet against the activists arrested for alleged Maoist links in connection with the Elgar Parishad case.

The letter was seized during nationwide raids by the Pune police in connection with the case, following which the activists were arrested, the official said.

"The phone number they are talking about has been in the public domain through the Rajya Sabha portal. Thousands of people know that number. I stopped using it around four years ago," Singh told reporters in Bhopal.

He claimed that the BJP and RSS were afraid of him and vitiating the atmosphere against him. "I have neither feared them, nor will I be scared of them," he said.

"Earlier too, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) had termed me anti-national. I had surrendered before the Madhya Pradesh police, which gave me in writing that it had no proof against me, nor was there any case registered against me," Singh said.

The letter in question, dated September 25, 2017, is written by an alleged Naxal operative.

A portion of the letter reads: "We must intensify nationwide protests using students. The state forces will be soft against students, which will gradually put the state at a disadvantage while acting against us. Congress leaders are very much willing to assist in this process and have also agreed to fund further agitations.... In this regard, you can contact our friend at (the phone number of Digvijay Singh according to the police)".

Pune police Monday said "several numbers" were found in letters seized during the raids, adding they were being probed.

No one has been summoned so far for questioning in this connection, a Pune police official said.

The Elgar Parishad was held on December 31, 2017 in Pune to commemorate 200 years of the 1818 Koregaon-Bhima battle, in which the East India Company forces, comprising a large number of Dalit soldiers, had defeated the Peshwa army.

Police said the conclave had led to violence at the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune district the next day, following which a probe to uncover Maoist links was launched. The probe led to the arrest of 10 activists in June and August.