5 activists arrested in Bhima-Koregaon case to be kept under house arrest till Sept 6: SC

The searches were conducted in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Haryana. The raids were carried out as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune last year.

Revolutionary writer P Varavara Rao after a medical chek-up following his arrest by the Pune police in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, in Hyderabad

New Delhi: A three-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra on Wednesday directed all five activists-accused arrested in Bhima Koregaon case would remain in house arrest as an interim measure till September 6. The court was hearing a petition challenging the arrests of five activists for their alleged links to Maoist activists.  The five activists will now not be sent to jail till September 6 but will remain in house arrest under police watch. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra questioned the Maharashtra police for arresting these persons after around nine months of the Bhima-Koregaon incident. "Dissent is the safety valve of democracy and if you don't allow these safety valves, it will burst," it said. The bench posted the matter for hearing on September 6. In view of information regarding the apex court's order, the Delhi High Court will hear the matter tomorrow after getting a copy of top court's decision. The controversial arrests happened on Tuesday after Pune Police conduced raids across the country in the homes if 10 activists. Among those arrested, there is a poet, a management professor and a business journalist. The searches were conducted in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Haryana. The raids were carried out as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune last year. Searches were carried out at the homes of Left-wing activist and poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonzalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, trade union activist Sudha Bhardwaj in Chhattisgarh and civil liberties activist Gautam Navalakha, who lives in Delhi, PTI quoted a a senior police officer as saying.

#BhimaKoregaon Eminent persons Romila Thapar, Prabhat Patnaik, Satish Deshpande, Maya Darnall and one other person move the Supreme Court against the arrest of activists Sudha Bhardwaj and activist Gautam Navlakha. SC to hear the matter at 3:45 pm today.

— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2018

Rao, Ferreira, Gonsalves and Bhardwaj have been arrested by the Pune police. Although Navalakha was also arrested, the Delhi High Court ordered police not to take him out of the national capital at least until Wednesday. Condemning the raids and the arrest, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday lashed out at RSS saying, “There is only place for one NGO in India and it's called the RSS. Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain. Welcome to the new India”.

As Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had declared that Maoists are No.1 threat to India's internal security. Now the Congress president openly supports the front organisations & sympathisers of the Maoists. Keep national security above politics

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 29, 2018

Hitting back at Rahul, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said “As Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had declared that Maoists are No.1 threat to India's internal security. Now the Congress president openly supports the front organisations & sympathisers of the Maoists. Keep national security above politics”. The arrests were also highly condemned by Left wing leaders and social activists. Speaking on the matter wife of Varnan Gonsalves, advocate Susan Abraham said “Arrests of 5 activists from various cities across India in connection with Bhima Koregaon violence by Pune Police was done "under government's pressure".