Several pieces of evidence have been found against those arrested for alleged Naxal connection to the Bhima-Koregaon violence, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
Evidence suggesting a direct link of the accused with Naxal leaders was found during the probe, he told the Legislative Council.
Police also found some e-mails (sent or received by the accused) pertaining to “conspiracies”, the chief minister said.
MLC Kapil Patil had raised the issue during Question Hour, noting that there was also a lawyer among those accused.
There is a difference between sympathising with an ideology (such as Naxalism) and actually practising it, he said, asking whether the government will consider releasing the accused from prison until the judicial inquiry in the matter is complete.
Neelam Gorhe of the Shiv Sena sought to know the status of investigation and when a charge-sheet will be filed.
Replying to Gorhe’s question, Fadnavis said, “A judicial inquiry is underway, and hence making a comment on this will not be appropriate.”
Police will file the charge sheet in the stipulated period, he said.
Last month Pune Police arrested five people from Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi, including Dalit activist Sudhir Dhavale, for allegedly having close links with the Naxals.
Dhavale was one of the organisers of Elgar Parishad, organised to commemorate 200 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle on December 31 last year.
Police said they were probing whether the Naxals instigated the violence that took place the next day at the Bhima-Koregaon war memorial in Pune district.
