Bhima Koregaon case: 7 accused go on hunger strike for not being produced before court
Seven accused in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case have gone on hunger strike, protesting their non-appearance in court for over a month.
MUMBAI: Seven accused in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case have gone on hunger strike in protest against not being produced physically before the special NIA court that is conducting the trial.
More than a month has passed since seven of the sixteen individuals were brought before the special UAPA court.
The seven accused, comprising artists, activists, lawyers and researchers went on a hunger strike inside the Taloja central prison on Friday, marking their protest against the Navi Mumbai police commissioner.
In a press statement released by the BK-16 (refers to the 16 people who were arrested in the case), the Bhima Koregaon prisoners have gone on a hunger strike against the Navi Mumbai police commissioner, adding that flimsy excuses are being given by officials claiming that security guards are not available.
Several lawyers, scholars and anti-caste activists were arrested by the Pune police in connection with a violence that broke out at Bhima Koregaon and other parts of Pune on January 1 2018, which left one person dead, and several others injured. The police registered a case against the activists and lawyers alleging that the violence broke out due to the inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conference organised by the activists a day before, on December 31, 2017.
The conference was held near the Koregaon Bhima War Memorial in Pune to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company, whose forces included members of the Mahar Dalit community.
The court is currently hearing the arguments on the discharge plea of the seven accused. The delay in production persists despite a verbal order passed by the special court on October 9, which directed the accused to be produced without fail in the next hearing. The special sessions judge CS Baviskar, had directed the Taloja central authorities to produce all the convicts in the court without fail by the next date on October 18. “But even with such clear directions of the court, the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner is definitely flouting these directions,” observed the press release.
Speaking to HT, Sumit Gadling, lawyer and son of Sumit Gadling said, “I got to know from my father that they have gone on a hunger strike since they are not being produced before the court despite the verbal directions passed by the court.”
“There is a GR which states that guards should be assigned for the production of the accused,” said Gadling, adding that they are not being produced.
“My father appearing in-person, and he has to file various applications on account of the case”, said Gadling.
The statement observed that the deliberate non-appearance of the prisoners on court dates is a violation of the constitutional rights of the defendants. Pointing out that the accused have not been produced for the last three hearings, Gadling said, “Last time, my father was brought on a video call. But it is not always possible due to connectivity issues.”
Those who are currently in prison are Sudhir Dhawale, activist Rona Wilson, lawyer Surendra Gadling, Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu, and cultural artists and activists Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, activist Mahesh Raut and Jyoti Jagtap. While Jagtap is lodged at the Arthur Road jail in Byculla, the other seven are lodged at the Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai.
Speaking to HT, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sanjay Kumar Patil said, “ I got to know about the strike at noon. It cannot be said that flimsy excuses are being given because we have been producing them since 2019.”
Patil added that the ratio of the number of prisoners to the number of available staff is disproportionate, which sometimes results in these issues. There are 229 guards who have been assigned for the purpose of escorts from Taloja central prison, added Patil, who are escorted to all over India from the prison.