Recalling the first set of arrests made in the questionable Bhima Koregaon violence case almost exactly three years ago, Nihalsing B Rathod, in this first of a three-part series, recollects the personal horrors of trying to track Surendra Gadling in the immediate aftermath of his arrest, details the events leading to the arrest of five more activists in August 2018, and explains how basic tenets of criminal law were violated by the Pune Police in making these arrests.
The morning of June 6, 2018, gave me a horrific memory that perhaps will never fade. Early in the morning, I received a phone call that police were at the house of Advocate Surendra Gadling again. The memory of the raid of April 17, 2018, was still fresh. Read more
Video: Bhima Koregaon accused continue to wait for bail
Vira Sathidar, a poet, writer, activist, and also one of the editors of a radical Anti-Caste Marathi Magazine ‘Vidrohi’ talks about incarceration of Sudhir Dhawale, founder of Vidrohi. Sudhir Dhawale along with two other activists- Surendra Gadhling and Prof. Shoma Sen were arrested by Police from Nagpur and are still in jail. These were among the first few arrests of Human rights activists by Modi Government under charges of being involved in Bhima Koregaon Violence and in a plot to assassinate PM Modi. The magazine stopped its publication due to various reasons, one being the constant threat of police surveillance. Watch video
From FIR to Malware Claims: A Timeline of the Bhima Koregaon Case
When exactly did the Bhima Koregaon case, as it has come to be known, begin?
Was it on the day the first set of activists were arrested, back in June 2018? Was it the day when malware was allegedly planted on the computers of at least one of the accused, two years before that? Or do we have to go all the way back to the Battle of Bhima Koregaon itself to understand what’s really going on with this case?
Here’s a complete timeline of this controversial case: from its origins in a dodgy FIR, to the moment the Supreme Court could have nipped all this in the bud; and from the filing of 3 charge sheets, to the 16 arrests made under its vague and dubious mandate. Read more
June 6 marks the second anniversary of the arrest of activists in India as part of the Bhima Koregaon or Elgar Parishad case. This case has become a prime example of the targeting of those who are critical of India’s current far-right wing government led by prime minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In this video, we look at the case and those who are being targeted. Watch video
Travesty of Justice – Persecution of Human Rights Defenders
By Civil Liberties Committee (AP &Telangana State)
We cannot forget 2018. In fact that the violence in Bhimakoregaon in Maharashtra on January 2018 was a planned and organized by the RSS and other Hindhutva outfits in order to foil Edgar Parishat, a conglomeration of dalits, bahujans and minorities who gathered in a single platform. The Parishad proclaimed to fight against fascist hindutva forces and reclaim Constitution and its ideals. In the months of June and August the Maharashtra Police raided selectively the houses of human rights and social activists across the country. Read full statement
Two years of Bhima Koregaon Arrests – The Beginning of Urban Naxal: Concoctions of the State
In the following article, Advocate Nihal Singh Rathod recounts the beginning of this witch-hunt before abusing law became a norm.
JUNE 6, 2018, shall remain a day deeply engraved on my psyche forever, for it changed my life and life of many I know. It shook me to the core. It is not as if I was not at all prepared for it, given its foundation was laid much prior. Read more
Second Anniversary of June 6 Arrests – Who are these Activists?
June 6 marks the second anniversary of the nation-wide onslaught on and implication of activists and their arrest in the Bhima Koregaon case. Exactly two years ago, Pune police conducted simultaneous raids on five houses in Nagpur, Delhi and Mumbai and arrested Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawle and Mahesh Raut. The case has not moved an inch in the last two years and they are still languishing in Maharashtra jails.
Statement by Indian Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL):
IAPL CONDEMNS ARREST OF ACTIVISTS Read full statement
Statement by Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS):
ON THE ARBITRARY ARRESTS OF SHOMA SEN, SUDHIR DHAWALE, SURENDRA GADLING, RONA WILSON, AND MAHESH RAUT BY THE MAHARASHTRA POLICE Read full statement
Statement by People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Maharashtra:
PUCL CONDEMNS THE ARREST OF SURENDRA GADLING, SUDHIR DHAWALE, RONA WILSON, SHOMA SEN, MAHESH RAUT AND RANA JACOB Read full statement
Bhima Koregaon Case: A glaring example of Hindutva lies
New Delhi: Hindutva – the official guiding principle of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and all the members in its parivar – is an embodiment of lies, fabrication, distortion, deception, obfuscation, hatred and unleashing violence. If one thought that this characterization is an ideological subjective opinion, it is better to look at this glaring example of Bhima Koregaon violence case, a subject of gross obfuscation of facts and inhuman incarceration of public-spirited individuals over the last two years. Read more
This panel, featuring Susan Abraham, Prabodhan Pol, Mihir Desai and Nihalsing Rathod, takes a closer look at the arrests of and cases against the 11 activists detained after Bhima Koregaon, and places the events within the context of caste, community and Maharashtra political dynamics. This is part 1 of a two-part series on UAPA and state suppression of dissent. Watch Video
Video: Facing a vindictive state Anand Teltumbde speaks to Teesta Setalvad
Following police raids at his home last year, well known author, activist and Dalit intellectual Dr Anand Teltumbde now faces the threat of imminent arrest. Facing a vindictive state Anand Teltumbde speaks to Teesta Setalvad. Watch video
