Pune: Plans to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a "Rajiv Gandhi-like incident" were revealed after a letter allegedly found in the house of one of the five persons arrested for "links" with the banned CPI (Maoist), Pune police told a court on Friday. Police on Thursday arrested five Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling, activists Mahesh Raut and Shoma Sen and Rona Wilson from Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi respectively in connection with 'Elgar Parishad' held here in December and the subsequent Bhima-Koregaon violence in the district. All five were produced before the sessions court today which remanded them in police custody till June 14.
Prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar told the court that a letter found in Rona Wilson's house in Delhi talks about requirement of Rs 8 crore to procure M-4 rifle and four lakh rounds, and also about "another Rajiv Gandhi incident". The letter states, "We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi incident. It sounds suicidal and there is a chance that we might fail but party must deliberate on our proposal," "It sounds suicidal and there is a good chance we might fail but we feel the party must deliberate over our proposal," it goes on to state. The letter written on April 18 by "R" to one "comrade Prakash" also says "Modi-led Hindu fascist regime is bulldozing its way into the lives of indigenous adivasis". The lawyers of the accused said the documents cited by the prosecution were fabricated, and the accused have been framed up. Earlier in the day, Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Kadam told reporters that a letter allegedly seized from Wilson's house had been sent by fugitive Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam Congress felt the letter may have been planted. "I am not saying this is completely untrue but It has been PM Modi's old tactic, since he was PM, whenever his popularity declines, news of an assassination plot it planted.”