Pune: In a crackdown at dawn, a Pune police team on Wednesday arrested Ambedkarite activist-editor Sudhir Dhawale in Mumbai along with four other dalit activists in Delhi and Nagpur for their alleged links to naxals and their role in organising the Elgaar Parishad to commemorate the bicentenary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in December last year, where socially-divisive speeches were made.
The others arrested included human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling, activists Mahesh Raut and Shoma Sen from Nagpur, and activist Rona Wilson from New Delhi. According to police sources, it is yet to be established whether the five arrested activists were involved in the Bhima-Koregoan violence or not. Police sources added that with these arrests they have finally established the existence of ‘urban naxalism.’
Meanwhile, Ravindra Kadam, joint city police commissioner, Pune said, “We have proof of links between these activists and naxals.”
