Father Stan among 8 charge-sheeted

New Delhi, October 9

The NIA today said it had arrested octogenarian human rights activist and tribal leader Father Stan Swamy from his house in Ranchi for his alleged role in the Bhima-Koregaon violence near Pune on January 1, 2018. Father Stan has been remanded in judicial custody till October 23.

Sources said he was an active member of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) and had received funds through an associate for the organisation’s activities. “He is a convener of the Persecuted Prisoners Solidarity Committee (PPSC), a frontal organisation of the CPI (Maoist). Documents related to communications for furthering the activities of the CPI (Maoist) and propaganda material of the CPI (Maoist) were seized from his possession,” a senior NIA official said.

Father Stan was allegedly in contact with Bhima-Koregaon conspirators Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Hany Babu, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde for furthering the group’s activities.

The NIA has filed a charge-sheet against eight persons, including Navlakha, Father Stan and Teltumbde, for allegedly inciting violence in Bhima-Koregaon. The cleric is the sixteenth person to be arrested in the case. — TNS