Mumbai court sends three accused in Bhima Koregaon case to NIA custody till Sept 19

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested accused Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor and Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. The accused persons are members of Kabir Kala Manch, a frontal organization of banned terrorist organization CPI (Maoist), the NIA said in a release.

Mumbai (Maharashtra):A Mumbai sessions court on Friday sent Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap, all accused in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case, to the custody of the National Investigation Agency till September 19.

According to the NIA, all three accused are members of Kabir Kala Manch, a frontal organization of banned terrorist organization CPI (Maoist).

The NIA said that accused Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe (32) and Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor (36), both residents of Pune, were arrested in the case on September 7. Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap (33), also a resident of Pune, was arrested on September 8.

The case pertains to the Elgar Parishad event of December 31, 2017, organised by the Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada, where alleged provocative speeches were made, promoting enmity between people. It allegedly led to the Bhima Koregaon violence.

The arrested accused were earlier produced before the special NIA court in Mumbai, after which they were sent to four days NIA custody for interrogation.

"During the investigation, it was revealed that senior leaders of CPI (Maoist), an organisation banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were in contact with the organizers of Elgar Parishad as well as the accused arrested in the case so as to spread the ideology of Maoism/Naxalism and encourage unlawful activities," the NIA had said.

It said that the Pune Police has filed chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet in this case on November 15, 2018, and February 21, 2019, respectively and Gorkhe, Gaichor and Jagtap are named in the 'FIR as accused persons" in the matter.

The agency had taken over the investigation of the case on January 24, 2020 and arrested accused Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha on April 14, 2020. Another accused Hanybabu Musaliyavirtil Tarayil was arrested on July 28, 2020.

(ANI)