Elgar Parishad case: 7 accused go on hunger strike over not being produced in court

Mumbai: Seven accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case have gone on hunger strike in protest against not being produced physically before the special NIA court that is conducting the trial, their lawyer said on Friday.

Surendra Gadling, Sagar Gorakhe, Sudhir Dhawale, Ramesh Gaichor, Hanny Babu, Rona Wilson and Mahesh Raut are currently lodged in Taloja Jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

The jailed accused have gone on hunger strike claiming police is deliberately preventing them from being produced before the court, the lawyer said.

Gadling and 14 other activists were booked in connection with allegedly provocative speeches that were delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017.

It triggered violence at Koregaon Bhima there the next day.

As per Pune police, the conclave was backed by Maoists. The National Investigation Agency later took over the probe into the case.