Editor's Pick: The continuing Bhima Koregaon accusations

(The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.)

A supplementary chargesheet has been filed by the NIA in the Bhima Koregaon case against seven persons including four social activists and three members of the Kabir Kala Manch. The chargesheet says that the accused had connections with the banned CPI(Maoists) organisation and were involved in spreading its ideology. One of the accused is 83-year-old Stan Swamy, who has been sent to judicial custody with the other accused.

The investigation in the Bhima-Koregaon case was handed to the NIA by the Union Home Ministry after the newly elected Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra announced a relook at the investigation that was being done by the State police. In its chargesheet, the NIA says it has evidence of Maoists amassing weapons and plotting against the government. The NIA has branded the cultural organisation Kabir Kala Manch as a front of the Maoists. The Manch, which was formed in the wake of the 2002 Gujarat riots, was involved in organising the Elgar Parishad in Pune on the eve of the Bhima Koregaon violence. The event is being cited by investigating agencies as the trigger for the caste-based violence on the day celebrating a Dalit victory over 'upper caste' rulers more than 200 years ago.

The chargesheet is the latest event in the Bhima Koregaon issue, which has seen several social activists critical of the BJP being kept in jail for over 2 years. The BJP government at the Centre handing over the case to the NIA after the party lost power in Maharashtra was seen as a politically motivated move. The political undertones of this case and the implications for civil liberties are what make these developments important.