\'Raids without warrant against democracy\': CPI(M) on DU professor\'s house raid

New Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday condemned the police raid at the residence of Delhi University Professor Hany Babu in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.

"Such raids without search warrants are against the very essence of democracy, individual freedom, and open the door for planting evidence. Arbitrary use of instruments of the state to harass and intimidate dissent is inexcusable. Such intolerance towards criticism and dissent was the basis for the insidious attempt that was made last year to amend the Delhi University Act and apply ESMA," the party posted on Facebook.

CPI (M) demanded an immediate end to such "blatantly threatening postures" towards voices of dissent and democracy.

Earlier, Pune Police conducted a search and seizure raid at the residence of Hany Babu in Noida.

"Police, who came to my house without a warrant, told me that they came related to a case in Pune without a warrant. They were interested in books. They seized my laptop and pen drive. They also changed in my email password and I am unable to access it now. I will get my material from the court within two to three months. They said my name has come in the investigation," Hany Babu told ANI.

He had said that he will consult with a lawyer for further action in the matter.

On January 1 in 2018, violence had erupted at an event to mark 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and several injured, including 10 policemen.

The police had filed 58 cases against 162 people during a state-wide shutdown in January following clashes in Bhima-Koregaon.

Later that year, they filed a charge sheet against ten people, including five arrested activists- Roma Wilson, Shoma Sen, Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut and Surendra Gadling and five absconding accused- Commander Dipak Milind Teltumbde, Kishanda Prashant Bose, Prakash Naveen Rituoam Goswami, Commanders Deepu and Manglu.

The police, in its charge sheet, alleged that Elgaar Parishad, which was organized at Pune's Shaniwar Wada on December 31, 2017, had aggravated the violence in Koregaon Bhima a day later.

The charge sheet further states that a letter recovered from one of the arrested accused revealed that a conspiracy was being framed to plan a Rajiv Gandhi like assassination to take down Prime Minister Narendra Modi.