Elgar Parishad: Court permits activist Anand Teltumbde to visit Karnataka to receive award
Mumbai, Jan 30: A special court here on Tuesday permitted scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case of Maharashtra, to travel to Karnataka for two days to receive an award from the government in the neighbouring state.
Teltumbde, currently out on bail in the seven-year-old case, had filed an application seeking permission to travel to Bengaluru for two days from January 31 to receive the Basava Rashtriya Puraskar Award 2022-23 from the Karnataka government.
Special Judge Rajesh Kataria, assigned to hear matters related to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), allowed the application and directed the accused to inform the central agency about his itinerary and the place where he would be staying in Bengaluru.
The court also directed the academician-activist to attend a hearing in the case trial in Mumbai scheduled on February 2.
On November 18, 2022, the Bombay High Court had granted regular bail to Teltumbde. Later, the Supreme Court decided not to interfere with the HC order after the NIA, probing the case, filed an appeal against the relief granted to the accused.
Teltumbde is among more than a dozen academicians and activists who have been named as accused by the NIA in the case.
The case against Teltumbde and others relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed, triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city, around 200km from Mumbai.
The Pune Police, which probed the case before it was transferred to the NIA, claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.
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Mamata alleges BJP disrupted her Bhabanipur rally, Suvendu claims 'she's nervous'
Kolkata (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cut short her speech at a rally in her Bhabanipur constituency, alleging that the BJP was deliberately playing loud music from a nearby public meeting.
A peeved Banerjee said despite having the required permission of the Election Commission, her rally in Chakraberia was disrupted by the BJP, "who want to capture Bengal by intimidation and threat".
"It is not possible for me to go ahead with this meeting. If they can do such a thing in my constituency, imagine how undemocratic the BJP is. If they behave like this, I have to take legal action," she said.
"This is an insult, humiliation. BJP is stepping on our toes to instigate trouble. Not possible to address the gathering in this situation. I am leaving the stage. Please vote for me in your protest," she added.
Banerjee was then seen calling someone over and venting her grievances.
Before leaving the stage, she said, "I will hold a rally tomorrow at the same spot."
TMC supporters then rushed towards the BJP rally, which was later addressed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, but security personnel intervened and prevented the situation from escalating.
TMC workers later staged a demonstration outside the local police station and filed a complaint, alleging that the BJP violated the model code of conduct.
A senior TMC leader said another complaint will also be lodged with the Election Commission.
Asked about Banerjee's allegations, Adhikari told reporters after the rally he held nearby, "Her reaction shows she is nervous about the imminent loss."
"There was no violence, no obstruction in her meeting and her behaviour shows her nervousness. On May 4, people of Bhabanipur will celebrate the victory of the BJP," he claimed, alleging that the TMC also tried to disrupt his meeting by playing loud music.
South Kolkata's Bhabanipur, one of the battleground seats in the West Bengal elections, will vote in the second phase on April 29.
