Revolutionary writer and Left ideologue P Varavara Rao, who was arrested on Saturday night from his home in Hyderabad, has been sent to police custody by the Pune Sessions Court till November 26.
Rao was taken into custody by the Pune police after the Hyderabad High Court dismissed his petition. He is accused of plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he and his family have denied vehemently.
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Hyderabad had issued a transit remand order on August 28, which allowed the Maharashtra Police to take Varavara Rao to Pune. The writer had challenged this remand, and on Friday, the Hyderabad High Court refused to set aside the same.
Following the High Court’s order, the Pune police came to Hyderabad on the same day. Rao reportedly said that though the police didn’t have a fresh warrant, he was accompanying them so as not to create any trouble. He argued that the transit warrant issued by the local court had expired.
Rao was first arrested on August 28 along with activists Arun Ferreira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves. A case was booked against human rights activist Sudha Bharadwaj as well. These activists are also accused of inciting violence in Bhima Koregaon, Pune. However, the Supreme Court intervened against their arrest and directed that they be under house arrest until September 6.
In June this year, the Pune police had allegedly recovered a letter mentioning a plan to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the house of one of the five persons arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence.
The letter, written by a person identified only as ‘R’, reportedly mentions a plot to kill the Prime Minister on the lines of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It also referred to a requirement of Rs 8 crore to purchase an M-4 rifle and four lakh rounds to execute the plot. The letter reportedly mentions Varavara Rao’s name.
Varavara Rao, who heads Virasam, an association of revolutionary writers, had strongly denied the allegations. He had said that all five arrested in the case were working for the betterment of the downtrodden. He had also alleged that the letter was planted.