RANCHI: Tracing out links of Koregaon violence in Jharkhand also, Maharashtra Police on Tuesday raided Jesuit social activist priest Father Stan Swami's place in Ranchi and quizzed him for over four hours.
The Police team also seized gadgets like laptop, cell phones, SIM cards, Compact Discs, tribal literatures and a press release on Pathalgadi Movement as well, released a few weeks ago from the office and residence of Father Stan Lourdusamy, popularly known as Stan Swamy.
Police said that Swami the raids was related to a case registered with Vishrambaug Police Station in Pune and are linked to investigations into a public meeting organized days before caste-related violence erupted at Bhima Koregaon near Pune on January 1, leaving one person dead and public property worth several lakhs were destroyed.
The police team was led by Inspector (Crime Branch) in Pune, Dipak Nikam, accompanied by a team of Namkom Police Station in Ranchi having a search notice written in Marathi. It also directed the officer to film the entire proceedings of search conducted by them.
"We have seized a laptop, memory card and compact disks. We had only a search order, and we did not have any arrest order for Stan Swami," said Nikam. Nikam said that there is an organisation called 'Elgar Parishad' which is suspected to have links with the Dalit movement in Maharastra, and the Vishambagh police believe that Swami had links with it.
Swami, however, claimed that he was asked about an organization he never knew and had never gone to the place as well. As per the search warrant, Swami has been booked under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and promoting enmity between different groups, creating fear among people and criminal conspiracy as well.
Swami objected when he was asked to sign on the 'panchnama' written in Marathi, following which he was given an undertaking that he will be provided the same written in Hindi. Then Swami signed on it. Other Social activists, who gathered at Stan's residence after hearing about the search operation, alleged that the BJP government had been targeting him for raising tribal issues.
Interestingly, Swami, along with 19 others, has been accused of inciting tension on the 'Pathalgadi' issue through Facebook posts and booked for sedition.