Bhima-Koregaon violence case: Activist Varavara Rao arrested by Maharashtra Police

In yet another major development in Bhima-Koregaon violence case, activist Varavara Rao has been arrested by Maharashtra Police from his Hyderabad residence. Rao was taken into the custody after his house arrest term ended on Saturday. Varavara Rao along with four other detained activists was under in-house arrest following a Supreme Court order on August 29. In a coordinated raid across India, Pune Police had on August 28 arrested five activists - Sudha Bhardwaj, P Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves for their alleged Maoist link to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Bhima Koregaon violence case: Activist Varavara Rao has been arrested by Maharashtra Police from his residence in Hyderabad as his house arrest ended today," the news agency ANI reported.

Read | Bhima Koregaon violence: Pune Police files charge sheet against Shoma Sen and four others arrested in June

Bhima Koregaon violence case: Activist Varavara Rao has been arrested by Maharashtra Police from his residence in Hyderabad as his house arrest ended today. pic.twitter.com/fR8ndIHFEX

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2018

A special team of the Pune police led by an officer of Assistant Commissioner of Police rank arrived in Hyderabad on Friday night and was reportedly waiting for the investigating officer. They did not pick up Rao on Friday as it was too late. However, Rao, the social activist and Hyderabad-based revolutionary writer will now be brought to Pune after being produced in a local court, according to sources.

Read | Bhima Koregaon violence: Sudha Bharadwaj could be arrested, Pune court rejects bail application of other activists

Bhima Koregaon case refers to the violence that broke out following an annual celebratory gathering at Maharashtra's Bhima Koregaon village to mark the 200th anniversary of a British-era war. The police alleged that the activists had links with Maoists who backed the Elgar Parishad held in Pune on December 31, 2017. Next day, the Parishad allegedly instigated violence near Koregaon Bhima war memorial in Pune.

The skirmish claimed one life and left several others injured on January 1, 2018. It is believed to be the assassination plot of PM Modi on the lines of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The former prime minister was assassinated by LTTE bomber Dhanu in 1991.