Bhima Koregaon violence: Pune Police files chargesheet against Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling and three others

Pune Police filed a chargesheet against five accused—Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Sudhir Dhawale and Rona Wilson—in the Bhima Koregaon violence case in Pune Sessions Court, ANI reported.  In the chargesheet it is stated that around 80 witnesses have been examined and that the entire campaigning for Elgaar Parishad including the speeches delivered at the conclave aggravated the Bhima Koregaon violence.

Earlier on 2 November, the court had rejected the bail plea of Sen, who had moved her application in September.

The accused were arrested for “Maoist” links in June.

The five were accused of being involved in the violence that erupted earlier this year during the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle.

Apart from this, five other activists—poet Vara Vara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj, activists Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, and Gautam Navlakha—have also been put under house arrest since 29 August for their alleged involvement in the violence.

One person was killed and many were injured in the clashes which took place on 1 January, 2018.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government in an affidavit told the Supreme Court that the activists were “members of banned terrorist organisation Communist Party of India (Maoist)”.

With inputs from ANI