MUMBAI: Two teenagers and a 20-year-old in custody since January 10 in a murder case connected to the violence that erupted during a bicentenary celebration of the
battle of Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 in Pune, moved
Bombay high court for bail on Monday.
According to police, Rahul Phatangade, was accosted by a mob and beaten to death.
Vacation Judge, Justice Bharati Dangre posted their plea for a hearing on Wednesday after hearing their counsel Madhavi Tavanandi who said they were arrested only because of “Ambedkar” T-shirts they had worn. Tavanani said the trio had come out of their hamlet in Ahmednagar district for the first time for a big event and were among 52 persons who wore T-shirts that said “Dr B R Ambedkar Pargao Sudrik’ on the back. Police picked them up based on a CCTV footage from among the bunch of others, because of their alleged presence near the site where Phatangade’s body was found on January 1 after the violence.
The three who moved court are Chetan Alhat, 19, Akshay Alhat, 20 and Tushar Jounjal, 19. Tushar had even missed his tenth standard board examinations, said the lawyer, because of his custody. She said there is “no evidence whatsoever" against the trio for murder, none of the witness statements mentioned their names or roles, there was “no recovery" of any weapon from them. “There is nothing to implicate them…they were just picked up because of their community," she submitted.
Following the violence over 500 arrests were made statewide.
Milind Ekbote, a Hindutva leader and prime accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence, was last month granted bail on a bond of Rs 25,000 by
Pune Sessions court. Police had arrested Ekbote on March 14 after the Supreme Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.
Ekbote was facing charges of inciting violence, attempt to murder and atrocities during the violence that left one dead and several others injured including 10 policemen.
(Representative image)