Bhima Koregaon case: NIA arrests three members of Kabir Kala Manch

NEW DELHI: National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested three members of Kabir Kala Manch, which it described as a frontal outfit of banned terrorist organisation CPI(Maoist), for "propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology and being co-conspirators with the other arrested accused in the case".
NIA said the three accused -- Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor and 'lady' Manch member Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap -- who were arrested by its Mumbai branch were not only in touch with absconding accused Milind Teltumbde on urban network of the CPI(Maoist) but it had also been established that they underwent weapons and explosives training during their visits to the jungle as members of Kabir Kala Manch. The accused were also part of awareness programmes on various topics related to Maoist movement.
Sagar, aged 32 years and a resident of Wakad, Pune; Ramesh, 36, resident of Yerwada, Pune; and Jagtap, 33, resident of Kondwa, Pune have been arrested under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Indian Penal Code.
The 'Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad' case arose out of Vishram Baug P.S. Pune regarding inciting of people and provocative speeches given during Elgar Parishad organised at Shaniwarwada, Pune by the activists of Kabir Kala Manch on December 31, 2017, which is alleged to have promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to violence resulting in loss of life & property and state-wide agitation in Maharashtra. During the investigation, it was revealed that senior leaders of CPI (Maoist) were in contact with the organisers 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 Pune Police filed a charge-sheet and a supplementary charge-sheet in the case on November 15, 2018 and February 21, 2019 respectively. Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor and Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap are named in the FIR as accused persons.
NIA took up the investigation of the case on January 24, 2020 and arrested accused Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha on April 14, 2020. Further, accused Hanybabu Musaliyavirtil Tarayil was arrested on July 28, 2020. NIA said it is also established that as per the evidence on record that in June 2018, absconding accused Milind Teltumbde discussed about the Elgar Parishad Programme organised at Pune and the subsequent in-roads made by the CPI (Maoist) in the organisation and execution through the members of Kabir Kala Manch and other frontal organisations. An NIA Special Court at Mumbai has remanded the three arrested accused to police custody until September 11.