The National Investigation Agency on Friday sought documents from the Mumbai Press Club related to a social gathering that was attended by some of the persons accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case who are out on bail, the Mumbai Press Club said in a statement emailed to members.
This came two days after the Mumbai Press Club suspended three members for having “facilitated” the gathering, which was held on January 19.
The Bhima Koregaon case pertains to the violence that broke out near Pune on January 1, 2018, a day after a conclave called the Elgar Parishad was organised to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon. One person was killed in the violence and several others were injured.
The NIA has alleged that the Elgar Parishad was part of a larger Maoist conspiracy to stoke caste violence, destabilise the Union government and assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sixteen people were arrested in the case.
But when the Supreme Court in 2023 granted bail to two persons accused in the case, it noted that the primary evidence cited by the NIA – a batch of letters – was of “weak probative value or quality”. In addition, a digital forensics firm, Arsenal Consulting, concluded that false evidence had been planted on the laptops and devices of the accused persons.
The Mumbai Press Club in a statement to members said that Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Gautam Navlakha, Anand Teltumbde, Hany Babu, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawal, who are on bail in the case, had met on the terrace of the institution.
The terrace of the club serves as a restaurant.
“It was brought to the managing committee’s attention that some attendees were subject to bail conditions imposed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the NIA Court, including restrictions on interaction with co-accused,” the press club statement to members claimed.
However, lawyers familiar with the case denied that any bail conditions had been violated.
The club added that an internal inquiry resulted in the suspension of three members – the Mumbai Press Club’s former president Gurbir Singh, and veteran journalists Bernard D’Mello and Shrikant Modak.
The club claimed that these three members had “collectively facilitated” the gathering, which could expose “the institution to significant legal and reputational risk”.
On Friday, “the National Investigation Agency conducted an inquiry with the Club’s office bearers and has sought certain documents pertaining to the said incident”, the club said.
Officials from the NIA had approached the press club’s office-bearers on Wednesday after learning about the suspensions through media reports, The Indian Express reported.
“All relevant documents sought by the agency have been shared and all necessary assistance has been extended in accordance with applicable laws and procedures,” the club said.
Suspended members reject claims
The three suspended members have rejected the press club’s claims.
Singh said that he was “merely a participant” in the gathering that was held on January 19 and denied organising the gathering.
He added that the Mumbai Press Club has “a rich culture of inviting people of different views and ideology”, some of whom have had cases against them.
“…We do not exclude anyone a long as they are not convicted,” Singh said. “The club is a platform for discussion and controversy, and that is what a press club is for. None of the BK [Bhima Koregaon] accused were convicted and they were free to go anywhere.”
D’Mello told The Indian Express that a person accused of wrongdoing is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, adding that the trial in the Bhima Koregaon case had still not begun nearly eight years after the arrests.
Modak also denied any wrongdoing and said that he was unaware of any bail conditions of those on bail, The Indian Express reported.
Among the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, the Bombay High Court has granted bail to Wilson, Dhawale, Sudha Bharadwaj, Teltumbde and Babu. The Supreme Court has granted bail to Rao on medical grounds and to Shoma Sen, Gonsalves and Ferreira on merits.
It has also granted bail to Navlakha and Jyoti Jagtap.
One person accused in the case, Jesuit priest Stan Swamy, died in prison in 2021.
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