Kollam: The family of Kollam native Rona Jacob Wilson, one of the five held in connection with Bhima-Koregaon violence, says he was incriminated. His elder brother Roy Wilson told DC, “All the charges against him are fabricated, concocted. We know him so well. He is incapable of committing the crimes he is accused of.” The police and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that a letter seized from his residence revealed a plan to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in “another Rajiv Gandhi type incident” to end the ‘Modi-Raj’.
He was arrested on Wednesday at Pune airport under provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He was returning from Kerala after playing godparent for Roy’s child at the baptism held on Tuesday. Pune police contacted Mr Wilson after the arrest, and he rushed to Pune and arranged a counsel for him. Originally from Dalavapuram in Neendakara, he studied political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
His friends remember him as a “brilliant young man” when he was a student in Kollam. The 47-year-old was living in Delhi, working as public relations secretary of Committee for Release of Political Prisoners which campaigns against laws like UAPA and AFSPA. S.A.R. Geelani, former Delhi University professor and Kashmiri activist, is its president.
The letter which allegedly revealed the plot to assassin the Prime Minister by “targeting his roadshows”, was found from his laptop at his residence in Delhi. The letter also allegedly says, “It sounds suicidal, and there is a good chance that we might fail.” According to the police, it also mentions the requirement of Rs 8 crore for the annual supply of M4 rifles and 4 lakh rounds of ammunition for the operations.
Pune Police had arrested four others including Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling, activist Mahesh Raut, and Shoma Sen along with him for their alleged links with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). According to the police, the Elgaar Parishad, held at Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31, led to violence in Koregaon Bhima on January 1 over the commemoration of Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Mr Dhawale was one of the organisers of Elgar Parishad.
