HYDERABAD: Amidst high drama and rumours doing rounds from Friday evening about the arrest of Hyderabad-based revolutionary poet P Varavara Rao, Pune police finally arrested him from his Gandhinagar residence on Saturday night. This development comes after the Hyderabad High Court on Friday dismissed Varavara Rao’s plea to quash the case registered against him in Pune, in connection with the clashes at Bhima Koregaon.
The court which told Varavara Rao to approach the Bombay High Court or the appropriate court, also told him to avail the remedies under law since the transit warrant given to the Pune police by a lower court had become infructuous. As a preventive measure, police in big numbers including women police from Hyderabad city police were deployed.
Varavara Rao’s wife Hemalatha said that the Pune police who came to arrest her husband were rude and did not produce arrest warrant. “Whatever we asked they responded only in Marathi, which we did not understand. They said no warrant was needed. Now that he is not keeping good health, his medicines are to be changed. But there was no time to take the prescriptions or medicines and they forced him out of the house,” she said.
His younger daughter Pavana said the arrest was illegal and no less than kidnap of a person fighting for the cause of public and their rights. ‘’We are worried about his safety and health also. Though Sunday being a holiday to all the courts, they told us that they will produce him before a sessions court in Pune,” she said.
Meanwhile, tense moments were witnessed outside Varavara Rao’s residence. His supporters gathered in large numbers right from the morning, staged a dharna protesting his arrest. “In any arrest and even detention, a warrant is compulsory, but the Pune police did not bother to follow the legal procedures and went ahead with the arrest,” they said They also demanded that they be allowed to meet Varavara Rao before he is arrested.
Progressive Organisation of Women’s leader Sandhya said if there is a case against him, they can arrest him as per law, but why are we being stopped from entering his house or meeting him. “If they are coming to arrest him as per the law, why will we protest? Arresting him itself for false cases is illegal and preventing us from entering is another violation of our rights,” she said.