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Rahul Gandhi takes dig at BJP government over arrest of activists with alleged Maoist links

| @indiablooms | Aug 28, 2018, at 11:53 pm

New Delhi, Aug 28 (IBNS): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday blasted the ruling BJP over the arrests of several activists with alleged Maoist  links across the nation in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence in January near Pune.

"There is only place for one NGO in India and it's called the RSS. Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain," he tweeted after the arrests which were also earlier linked to a alleged plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Welcome to the new India. #BhimaKoregaon," he tweeted.

Five men with alleged Maoist links were arrested on Tuesday in multi-city raids by Pune police, media reports said.

The raids and arrests were made by the Pune police in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence in January involving the Dalits who live in Bhima Koregaon, about 40 kms from Pune city and had clashed with upper-caste Marathas.

The Bhima Koregaon violence witnessed Dalit activists clash with upper-caste Marathas.

The raids were carried out in several cities like Delhi, Faridabad, Goa, Mumbai, Ranchi and Hyderabad.

The arrested have been identified as Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, activists Arun Fereira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves, said reports.

According to reports,  Vernon Gonsalves was arrested in Mumbai, Gautam Navlakha in Delhi, Sudha Bharadwaj in Haryana, and poet and Maoist ideologue P Varavara Rao in Hyderabad.

Rao was reportedly arrested in connection with an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The Pune police sought our assistance. We sent some women police constables to assist in the searches,” Hyderabad Central zone DCP Vishwa Prasad told The Hindu.

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