Pune police question Elgar Parishad organisers

Pune police, probing the alleged "Maoist link" to the Elgar Parishad held here in December last year, today questionned members of some organisations who were part of the organising committee of the event.

Caste clashes had broken out in Bhima Koregaon village in Pune district on January 1 this year, a day after the Elgar Parishad was held at historic Shaniwarwada in Pune.

The Parishad was organised to commemorate 200 years of the Koregaon Bhima battle.

As per the FIR registered at Vishrambaug police station, some Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) activists had allegedly made provocative speeches at the event leading to violence at Bhima Koregaon in the district.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Swargate division) Shivaji Pawar said the police questionned members of various organisations in connection with the case registered at the Vishrabaug police station and their statements have been recorded.

Anjum Inamdar, whose Mulnivasi Muslim Manch was one of the organisers of the Parishad, said besides him, city unit president of Bharip Bahujan sangh M N Kamble, Bhim Army's Datta Pol, who was one of the organisers of the Parishad, Akash Sabale, Ashok Kamble, Jyoti jagtap, Ramesh Gaychor, and Sagar Gorkhe of the KKM were summoned by the police today.

According to one of the members whose statement was recorded today, police inquired about the source of funding for the event.

Pune Police had earlier claimed to have unearthed Maoist links to the parishad.

The police on June 6 arrested prominent Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale from Mumbai, lawyer Surendra Gadling, activist Mahesh Raut and professor Shoma Sen from Nagpur and Rona Wilson from Delhi for alleged naxal links in connection with the Parishad.

"While investigating the case registered at Vishrambaug police station, we conducted some searches at various places in the state. During the searches we found some evidence which was indicating that all those arrested had close links with the Maoists," Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Kadam had said.

The Parishad was attended by Gujarat MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, JNU student leader Umar Khalid, Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula, and Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh president Prakash Ambedkar.

Shaniwarwada, a historical fortification in the city, had remained the seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha empire until 1818.

The complaint against the KKM members was lodged by one Tushar Damgude.

The FIR was registered against Sudhir Dhawale, Sagar Gorkhe, Harshali Potdar, Ramesh Gaychor, Deepak Dengle and Jyoti Jagtap.

The complaint had stated that the "inciting speeches and presentations" led to the violence. One person was killed in the caste violence between two groups near Sanaswadi, adjacent to Koregaon Bhima. The violence led to the statewide Dalit agitation.

The mobs had damaged and torched several vehicles and shops on New Year's day and the houses of local residents were also ransacked.