‘Maoist contacted slum activists during collectorate stir’

The statements of the two members of MM reveal that Bhelke came in touch with them during an agitation at the district collector’s office and later during other agitations.

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Bhelke allegedly tried to indoctrinate them with the ideology of armed struggle against the government, says the chargesheet filed by ATS in Shivajinagar Court recently.

ATS recorded the statements of MM members Shubham Dattatraya Jagtap (19) and Shahrukh Chand Khan (21) residents of Kasewadi slums.

Arun Bhelke and his wife Kanchan Nanaware were arrested in Pune in September 2014.

Shahrukh was arrested on March 9, 2015 by Pune police for allegedly trying to extort Rs 20 lakh from Ramesh Bagwe, former minister of state for home affairs in the Maharashtra government.

Bagwe alleged that Shahrukh dropped the “name of a Maoist” leader Teltumbde to make him cough up the amount demanded. It was also alleged that Maoists had 40 persons on their hit-list. Shahrukh’s father Chand Khan refuting the allegations said his son had no links with “Maoists”.

According to ATS, Bhelke developed contacts with Shahrukh and Shubham using a fake name, Sanjay Kamble, and tried to indoctrinate them into their armed combat wing.

Police said that as per Shahrukh’s statement, he had become an active member of MM in 2013. The outfit was floated by Santosh Sawant in Kasewadi slums in Bhavani Peth to fight social injustice in 2012.

Currently headed by Vijay Jagtap, MM organises rallies and agitations against injustice” “During a morcha by our organisation outside the district collector’s office in 2013, I met a person who said he was Sanjay Kamble, a social worker from the Ambedkar movement. He took my cell phone number.

A month-and-a-half later, he called me over phone, asking me to meet at Pune station…I told him I am poor and do labour work… He said he lives in Mumbai and works for Dalits. He offered to pay me if I help him. I agreed… He gave me Rs 1,000 and returned to Mumbai by train…Later, he held meetings with me frequently in Pune station area…He always talked about rebelling against the government to fight capitalists…He was influential.

He raised issues that struck a chord with me… He started giving me books, literature on Maoism and related issues. He took it back after I read it. He discussed these issues with me. He asked me to rope in more youths who want to fight social injustice.

He said he had sent youth of slums to jungles for training to fight injustice..ATS told me he is a Maoist, his name is Arun Bhelke. I was not aware of it before”. it was stated.

Shubham said in his statement, “I dropped out after class IX. My father is a painter. I like social work. I write poems. I joined the mass movement, took part in agitations and other programs of the organsation…. I wrote a poem “Vadal (story)” in 2013. While circulating a pamphlet about it in Swargate area, a man Sanjay Kamble approached me on Tilak Road and talked about my poem. He said he is also a social worker from Ambedkarite movement… He said he does not use cell phone. But he took my contact number.”

Bhelke started meeting Shubham at Lonavla and other spots. He asked Shubham to join the movement against “capitalists”. Bhelke gave Rs 1,000 to Shubham twice. Bhelke also asked him to continue his studies and clear SSC. He gave books and documents related to Maoism to Shubham, held discussions on it and allegedly influenced him to join the training in the jungles.

Bhelke and Kanchan, both natives of Chandrapur, are alleged operatives of the Golden Corridor Committee of the banned Maoist organisation. It aims at recruiting youths from urban areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The couple lived in Mumbai, Raigad and Pune before their arrest under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), forgery, and cheating. Police said the Maoists have a larger plan to open a front for a battle in Western Ghats and are trying to indoctrinate youths, particularly from Dalits and minority communities from slum areas.