Pune court Remands Varavara Rao In Police Custody Till November 26

Telugu poet Varavara Rao, accused of having Maoist links, was on Sunday, November 18 remanded in police custody till November 26. 

Rao was taken into custody in Hyderabad on Saturday, November 17 after his house arrest ended on November 15 and his petition to quash the transit remand was disposed of by a court there on November 16.

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He was brought to Pune on November 18 and was produced before District and Sessions judge Kishor D Vadane, who remanded him in police custody till November 26.

District government pleader Ujjwala Pawar, while seeking police custody of 14 days, told the court that Rao had a nexus with top fugitive CPI (Maoist) operatives and was actively involved in the procurement of arms and ammunition, recruitment of students and funding of Maoist activities.

READ: Bhima Koregaon Violence Case: Varavara Rao Arrested By Pune Police, Taken Into Custody

Rao, along with four other activists, was arrested on August 28 after the Pune Police conducted raids at various places in the country in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima violence case. 

Speaking to ANI, Joint Commissioner of Police, Pune said, ‘Varavara Rao's house arrest extension given by Hyderabad High Court ends today & in addition to that, his another petition before the court is also disposed of by Hyderabad Court. Hence, he is arrested by Pune Police & will be produced before Pune Court.’

Police alleged that these activists had links with the Maoists, who backed Elgar Parishad event held in Pune on December 31, 2018. The Parishad, police alleged, led to the violence at Koregaon Bhima war memorial in Pune district the next day