MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court posted the bail applications of the activists arrested in the Elgaar Parishad Case for further hearing on April 5 after the Pune police, in an affidavit filed before the court on Wednesday, accused the activists of trying to mobilize Dalits in order to overthrow the government.
The affidavit was filed in the court to oppose the bail plea filed by Arun Ferriera, one of the eight accused arrested by the Pune police in the Elgaar Parishad Case.
ACP Shivaji Pawar of Pune police, who filed the affidavit, told the court that, Arun Ferriera and the other accused were senior members of the banned organisation, Communist Party of India (Maoist) (CPI-Maoist) who were actively supporting and propagating the banned outfit’s unlawful activities to overthrow the government established by law.
Of the eight arrested accused, Ferriera and Vernon Gonsalves had filed for bail. While the police filed affidavit opposing Ferriera’s bail pleas, they are yet to submit affidavit over Gonsalves’s petition. After listening to the prosecutions’ side, Justice P N Deshmukh, before whom the case is being heard, posted the matter for further hearing on April 5.
The police had been saying that the Elgar Parishad meeting held on December 31, 2017 led to violence at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018. In the affidavit filed today, they accused Ferreira and other accused of giving “inflammatory, provocative and rebellious” speeches. Stating that the conclave saw significant participation of Dalit organizations, the police said in the affidavit that, “These Dalit organisations were systematically brought together by some active members of CPI-Maoist, which had also funded this meeting.”
Accusing Ferreira and Gonsalves of being senior cadres of CPI-Maoist who were engaged in recruiting cadres for the banned outfit, the affidavit further said, “The intention of Ferreira and other accused persons along with the banned terrorist organisation CPI-Maoist is to topple the democratically elected governments (Centre and state) by violent means, that is by creating mayhem, spreading terror and hatred.