Pune police operation to arrest Varavara Rao 'illegal': Family

The arrest of Left leaning poet and writer Varavara Rao and searches in his two daughters residences were "illegal", claimed a family member.

N Venugopal alleged that the Pune Police did not produce arrest and search warrants against his maternal uncle Rao.

The activist was arrested from his residence here yesterday by a Pune police team for his alleged links with Maoists.

The team conducted searches at the residences of Rao's two daughters and a journalist before arresting him.

"At the end of the whole operation, they (Pune police) gave a 'panchnama' but that's most untenable and illegal document," Venugopal said today.

He claimed that the seven page Panchnama report was written in Marathi.

"First thing in law is if any seizure is done in any house, it should be given in a language understood by the people whose house is searched. So, this seven-page document is illegal. Even digits were in Marathi. So, no body knows what's there," Venugopal said.

The police also brought their own staff witnesses from Pune, he alleged.

In any Panchnama report, local respectable citizens have to be witnesses. "So, this also an illegal attempt."