Hyderabad: Revolutionary poet and rights activist Vara Vara Rao was back by Pune police to Hyderabad following Wednesday’s Supreme Court rap on arbitrary arrest of five activists from different states.
However he was placed under house arrest at his residence in Gandhinagar under Chikkadapally police station limit and a posse of ten policemen were deployed outside his residence and many more on the approach road.
According to his son-in-law KV Kurmanath a team of Pune police flew him back by 4.30am flight. He was dropped at his residence where local police had already made arrangements. As per the rules governing house arrest only the close family members were being allowed to enter the house and meet the poet. Prominent human rights activist Prof Haragopal and a few lawyers were among those visited him.
“We are happy that he is back. It is a great moral victory against government levelling false allegations and foisting false cases Supreme Court made a great observation on allowing the dissent in democracy”, Kurmanath said.
Vara Vara Rao and four other activists were arrested by Pune police after raids and searches in Fareedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Thane, Ranchi and Goa in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence on December 31 between Dalits and upper cates.
Pune police claimed that there was evidence that those arrested were conspiring against the government and present political system and mobilising funds for CPI Maoist to incite masses. However the allegations were rejected by the activists and human rights organisation as false and concocted.
The Supreme Court orders came on Wednesday afternoon even as Hyderabad High Court ordered Maharashtra and Telangana police to provide the Telugu version of the transit warrant and all the documents related to the case to Vara Vara Rao’s wife Hemalatha. Admitting an urgent petition by Hemalatha a bench comprising of Justice CV Nagaraju Reddybabd justice T Amarnath Goud asked the DGPs of the two states to file a counter within a week. The bench said that if they fail to give a valid reason for their arrests the court will declare the arrest as illegal. The court also said that if it was found that the police did not follow due process the court will intervene.
The raids by Pune police at seven places including the houses of Vara Vara Rao and his two daughters has caused widespread outrage and anger in the city and led to protest demonstrations by students and members of human rights groups and the left organisations.
