Enough evidence against activists of links with Maoists: Maharashtra ADG

The Maharashtra Police on Friday claimed that they have evidence against the recently arrested “Maoists” in the form of emails, documents and secret conversations for an armed overthrow of Modi Government. “The Maoists wanted to buy ₹8-crore worth of grenade launchers and rounds,” it said.

‘Overground workers’

Additional Director-General of Maharashtra police Param Bir Singh told presspersons on Friday that the arrested activists — Varavara Rao, Arun Pereira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Ananad Teltumbde and Stan Swami — were overground workers of the banned Communist Party of India(Maoist). “The activist are under house arrest but their custodial interrogation is necessary,” he said.

“A letter written by a CPI(Maoist) central commmittee member, Comrade Sudarshan to Gautam Navlakha shows direct evidence of their linkages and instructions for further armed insurrections. Rona Wilson in her conversation in April, 2017 says that there is a requirement for ₹8 crore for annual supply of M4 grenade launchers with 4 lakh rounds. There is a need for concrete steps to end Modi Raj,” he said.

He said the violence and vandalism were perpetrated at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune and the Elgar Parishad meeting also at Pune in December 2017. At the Elgar Parishad meeting, inflammatory speeches were made based on which an FIR was lodged, in which activist Sudhir Dhawale was named along with other accused for spreading hatred.

‘Plan to overthrow Modi’

“During the investigation it was found that activist Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson and others were deeply involved in raising funds and buying arms to overthrow Government. In the course of raids and seizures, incriminating evidence, including password- protected devices, were seized. This evidence was videographed and sent to the State Forensic Science Lab for further analysis. For maintaining the integrity of the evidence, the lab only provided a cloned copy, while the original device remained with the lab,” Singh said.

He also said that based on the cloned devices, further investigations were carried out. The investigations pointed to a major conspiracy of Maoist organisations with the help of activists such as Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Milind Teltumbde and other underground activists.

“The central committee of the Maoists never communicates directly with overground cadres and activist,”, he said.

“The biggest victory of the police force was its ability to crack the password-protected devices. The conspiracy of the Maoists was to create an all-India front to overthrow the Government by first creating conditions for the break down of law and order, which was to be planned with the help of overground cadres,” Singh said.

He further said after August 23, new names such Varavara Rao, Arun Pereira , Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Ananad Teltumbde and Stan Swami were added to the FIR and on August 29, raids were carried out at nine places across the country.

“Sudha Bharadwaj’s conversation with comrade Prakash says that Gautam Navlakha and other activists are in contact with Kashmiri terrorist and there is a need for students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Tata Institute of Social Sciences to be sent to the interior areas of the country. The Maoists were also in touch with people in France and the US for additional support,” Singh added.

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