Elgar Parishad case: JNU scholar Umar Khalid says speech not scripted

By PTI

MUMBAI: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Umar Khalid has instructed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that nobody had given him a script for his speech on the Elgar Parishad occasion, which allegedly led to violence in Bhima-Koregaon in Pune.

Khalid had attended the occasion organised to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon at Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31, 2017.

A Pune resident, who lodged a police grievance in opposition to Khalid, claimed that the JNU scholar had made “provocative” speeches on the occasion and his remarks had been aimed toward creating disharmony and rift between the communities, which led to the violence at Bhima-Koregaon on January 1, 2018.

An FIR was registered in opposition to Khalid for allegedly making provocative speeches, however he was by no means made an accused within the Elgar Parishad-Maoist hyperlinks case, which the NIA is probing into.

In his assertion to the investigating company, Khalid mentioned he was invited to the assembly by Justice (retired) B G Kolse-Patil, one of many organisers of the occasion.

Khalid’s assertion was a part of the voluminous set of paperwork submitted by the NIA as “additional evidence” earlier than the particular courtroom just lately.

“During my visit to Pune, I stayed at the house of Justice (retired) Kolse Patil. I don’t remember who arranged the flight tickets for me. Before delivering my speech at any place, I take local knowledge from any known person. No one had given me any script of speech for the Elgar Parishad meeting,” the student-activist has said.

Many folks had been current on the stage on the Elgar Parishad assembly and a video of it may be seen on YouTube alongside along with his speech, he mentioned.

Once the occasion acquired over, Khalid mentioned he went to retd Justice Kolse Patil’s home.

“Next day, many media persons came to his house. I had also given one bite to a media person. At that time many persons related to the Elgar Parishad meeting were present in Justice Kolse Patil’s house. At about 11 am, I came to know that BJP and RSS persons had attacked people who came to visit Bhima Koregaon,” the assertion quoting Khalid mentioned.

Khalid has additionally instructed the NIA that he knew Rona Wilson, an accused within the Elgar Parishad case, as she had come to JNU to ship a speech, and he additionally knew one other accused Arun Ferreira as a result of he had attended his ebook launch occasion.

Besides Khalid’s assertion, the foremost chunk of the “further proof” has the small print of the programmes and conferences held at Bagaicha, a company based by Father Stan Swamy.

Swamy, an accused within the Elgar Parishad-Maoist hyperlinks case, died in July final yr whereas ready for bail on medical grounds.

In its newest paperwork, the NIA has additionally submitted statements of Xavier Soreng and David Soloman, each mentioned to be very near Swamy.

The duo was a part of the managing staff of Bagaicha.

In the assertion, the duo has claimed that the premises of Bagaicha was utilized by a number of organisations for his or her coaching programmes.

The doc, with which the witnesses had been confronted, claimed that one of many anticipated outcomes for the challenge was “forming strong unions from unorganised sector, working class, minorities, with a long-term agenda of challenging fascist ruling powers in Jharkhand and other states. To establish working relations with certain banned rebel groups who have well-oiled network in and around the tribal belt of Jharkhand, Orissa, and Chhattisgarh”.

The case pertains to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered on the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the subsequent day close to the Koregaon-Bhima battle memorial positioned on the town’s outskirts.

The Pune police had claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.

The probe within the case, during which greater than a dozen activists and academicians have been named as accused, was later transferred to the NIA.