The arrests of human rights activists and raids on their properties have set off criticism of the government by almost all Opposition parties, with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) veteran Sharad Pawar on Wednesday saying that this may be a BJP ploy to divert attention from right wing group Sanatan Sanstha and the murder of rationalists like Govind Pansare, Gauri Lankesh and MM Kalburgi.

Five activists and intellectuals — Left ideologue and teacher Varavara Rao; human rights activist and lawyer Arun Ferreira; writer, columnist and teacher Vernon Gonsalves; activist and writer Gautam Navlakha; and lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj — were arrested from different places on Tuesday in a synchronised action by the Pune police. They also conducted simultaneous raids at the homes/offices of Ranchi-based adivasi rights activist Father Stan Swamy, Goa-based academic Anand Teltumbde and civil liberties lawyer Susan Abraham, among others.

Bhima-Koregaon

This was cited by the police as a part of the investigation into an FIR dated January 8, 2018, at Vishram Nagar, Pune, following the January 1 violence at Bhima-Koregaon during the commemoration of a historical event that turned into an event to assert Dalit identity and struggle against caste oppression in Maharashtra. In the FIR, it has been alleged that the violence was a result of inflammatory speeches and incitement to violence by various speakers at a conference titled Elgar Parishad on December 31, 2017, a day before the Bhima-Koregaon event.

Although the FIR did not mention the word “conspiracy”, it stated that a “banned Maoist organisation (CPI) have organised role to boast (sic)… strong Maoist thoughts in depressed class and misdirect and misguide them and turn them towards unconstitutional violence (sic) activities.” Almost eight months after the violence took place at Bhima-Koregaon and the FIR was registered, the Pune police arrested five activists across the country, none of whom were named in the FIR, as part of a larger conspiracy, and slapped various charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against them.

This has drawn widespread condemnation from political parties. According to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, this was part of RSS’s larger design to crush all political opposition.

“There is only place for one NGO in India and it’s called the RSS. Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain. Welcome to New India,” the Congress President said on Twitter.

According to Sharad Pawar, the arrests were “shocking” and seemed to be part of a larger design. Addressing a press conference here, he said: “I personally know some of those who got arrested. I will go to their families to enquire about the arrests. They are activists. Their ideology is Left. But I have never heard that they are associated with Naxalites.”

Pawar said the arrests seemed to be a “diversionary tactic”. “There is a general impression in Maharashtra that these arrests are to divert attention of the public from the arrests of some people who are associated with some organisations in connection with the murders of Govind Pansare, Gauri Lankesh and MM Kalburgi. That is the information I have,” he said to a specific question about whether the Pune police action had anything to do with the arrests of some people in the Gauri Lankesh murder case who are associated with Sanatan Sanstha.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said the arrests were a “BJP ploy to hoodwink people”. “This is government-sponsored terror, and the height of misuse of government agencies,” she said in a statement.

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