An activist couple from Gadchiroli was today arrested by police on the charges of deterring a public servant from discharge of his duty and spreading misinformation about police on social media, a senior official said.
Ettapali police in Gadchiroli district arrested the activists -- Sainu Gota and his wife Sheela -- from Nagpur and one more person, identified as Ramdas Jarate, he said, adding Jarate was apprehended from Aramori in Gadchiroli district.
The trio has been booked under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 145 (joining or continuing in unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 505 (b) (statements conducing to public mischief), Gadchiroli police said.
"The accused will be produced before the Gadchiroli magistrate soon," Inspector General (Anti-Naxal Operation, Gadchiroli region) Shivaji Bodkhe said.
On the intervening night of January 20 and 21, Gadchiroli police had detained two girls from neighbouring Chhattisgarh state, when they were found walking in the forest area of Gadchiroli.
Police had claimed that the two girls were detained during the night as a precautionary measure. However, the next day Sainu Gota claimed that the girls had accused that the police had sexually assaulted them.
However, the Gadchiroli police had refuted the charges calling them "baseless".
Police said the girls had been produced before a magistrate, where they refuted the activists' claims.
"Today, when the two activists and the two girls came to Nagpur to meet a lawyer, the Gadchiroli police along with Nagpur police arrested the two activists and took them to Ettapali, where an offence was registered against them," police said.
Further investigation is on.
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