Mumbai: Seven activists jailed in connection with the Elghar Parishad case have gone on a hunger strike in Taloja prison. Surendra Gadling, Sagar Gorkhe, Sudhir Dhawale, Ramesh Gaichor, Hany Babu, Rona Wilson, and Mahesh Raut are protesting against the Navi Mumbai Commissioner of Police for not being produced before the court on Friday despite specific directions.
Gadling, a human and civil rights activist, has been incarcerated since February 14, 2020. On October 9, through video-conferencing facility, Gadling had raised the issue of not being produced before the court in months. After the hearing, the court had directed the police to do so.
On Friday, when the prison authorities refused to take them to court for want of escort guards, the accused protested and sat on a hunger strike.
As per the lawyers of Gadling and Gorkhe, a Kabir Kala Manch activist, they are planning to file an application before the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court, which is hearing their discharge applications, and collect the necessary documents to file a public interest litigation before the Bombay High Court. They said that the authorities are deliberately not producing the activists before the court.
This is not the first time the Taloja prison authorities have been in the line of fire for not producing the accused in court. Previously, the special MCOCA court had issued a notice to initiate contempt proceedings against the prison authorities for non-production of the accused in connection with the 13/7 triple blast case.
In the Elgar case, the prison authorities had blamed the Navi Mumbai police in the last hearing for not providing sufficient police staff as escorts. After hearing the blame game, the court had warned both the prison and the Navi Mumbai police, asking them to ensure production of the accused in court on time.
