Maha police’s chilling affidavit to SC: ‘Activists’ gave input for ‘armed struggle’, smuggling of weapons and more

Maharashtra Police has submitted an affidavit in Supreme Court in relation to the recent arrest of five activists in the Bhima Bhima Koregaon case. Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the five rights activists were arrested due to the cogent evidence linking them with the banned CPI and not because of their dissenting views. The state’s response came in the backdrop of the apex court while ordering the house arrest of the five activists on August 29 till tomorrow, categorically stating that “dissent is the safety valve of democracy”. The affidavit says, “Five accused persons for whose benefit the present petition is filed are not arrested based upon any dissenting views expressed by them or difference in their political or other ideologies….during the course of an intense investigation since January 8, 2018, serious criminal offences are made out and incriminating material has emerged against them.” It also says “This Court is dealing with persons against whom cogent evidence has so far come on record showing that they are active members of the banned terrorist organisation namely, CPI, and they are involved in not only planning and preparing for violence but were in the process of creating large-scale violence, destruction of property resulting into chaos in the society as per the agenda prepared by the CPI, which was banned as a terrorist organisation in 2009”. Terming petitioners Romila Thappar, Prabhat Patnaik, Devaki Jain, Satish Deshpande and Maja Daruwala “strangers” in the case, it says “The petitioners, who are strangers to the offence under investigation, are also praying for bail on behalf of the persons arrested during an ongoing investigation, strictly in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure after the investigating agencies having gathered requisite incriminating material against the said individuals”.