Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
‘I am critical of Maoist ideology’
MUMBAI: Civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde, one of the accused in the Elgar Parishad– Bhima Koregaon violence case, has said that it will be incorrect to link him to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) or any of its frontal organisations since he is critical of the Maoist ideology. He filed his discharge plea through advocates R Sathyanarayanan and Neeraj Yadav before the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday.
Teltumbde pointed out that the NIA incorporated statement of a witness in the second supplementary charge sheet filed in the case and the witness had said that he had read one of the 30 books written by the 71-yearold activist – Anti Imperialism and Annihilation of Caste.
“This in the face of it is a critique of the Maoist ideology and this evidence indicates that the present accused [Teltumbde] is critical of the Maoist ideology and in view of this, the allegation of the prosecution that the accused is a member of CPI [Maoist] and has been acting to further the agenda of CPI [Maoist] is wholly untrue,” the plea said.
Besides, it said, there was no material to show that he was either a member of CPI (Maoist) or had links with the organisation banned under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
The NIA has claimed that Teltumbde was a senior member of CPI (Maoist) and acted as the general secretary of the Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR) and as a member of the Anuradha Ghandy Memorial Committee (AGMC), both frontal organisations of CPI (Maoist).
The activist has denied the allegations, claiming that there was no evidence on record to suggest that CPDR or AGMC were frontal organisations of CPI (Maoist). On the contrary, he has claimed that evidence on record suggested that there was no link between CPDR and CPI (Maoist).
Refuting the allegation that he used to attend international conferences under the guise of academic visits and used to exchange literature on ideology, training, and working strategy of CPI (Maoist), Teltumbde said there was no justification for levelling this charge.