Students, alumni and staff of Tata Institute of Social Sciences on Friday demanded the immediate release of five activists arrested by the Pune Police in connection with an event to commemorate the Battle of Bhima Koregaon on December 31. Mahesh Raut, one of the five, is an alumnus of the institute.

A statement signed by 218 people associated with TISS defended the activists who they said had been arrested unfairly on “flimsy baseless allegations”. They noted that Hindutva leaders accused of inciting violence against Dalits after the Elgar Parishad’ event were yet to be arrested.

“The police have not managed to produce a single piece of evidence in court, except for two letters that they claim were discovered from [one of the arrested activists] Rona Wilson’s laptop, the authenticity of which are yet unverified and which are being considered highly dubious,” the statement read.

The students, alumni and staff of TISS alleged that the activists were being persecuted for “working relentlessly with marginalised communities for their rights”.

On June 8, former Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellows defended Mahesh Raut in a similar statement. Raut has served as a fellow with the programme in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra.

Police officials have claimed that the Bhima Koregaon violence on January 1 was incited by the speeches of Dalit rights activists at an “Elgar Parishad” event held in Pune a day before, and that this event was funded by banned Maoist outfits.

The violence in January

On New Year’s Day, lakhs of Dalits from across India gathered in the town of Bhima Koregaon, 30 km from Pune, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of a battle in which a British force that included Dalit soldiers from the Mahar caste defeated an army of the Peshwa rulers, who were known for enforcing rigid caste segregation.

To mark the battle, a coalition of 260 non-profit organisations had held an event called Elgar Parishad the previous day at Pune’s Shaniwar Wada, featuring speakers such as politicians Prakash Ambedkar and Jignesh Mevani and Dalit rights activist Radhika Vemula. On January 1, clashes broke out in and around Bhima Koregaon.

Dalits claimed they were attacked by people with saffron flags, while Marathas claimed they had been attacked by Dalits. As Dalit protests spread across the state, one person was killed in the violence.