Elgar Parishad case: Pune police raid DU professor Hany Babu’s Noida house; DUTA calls it 'harassment'

NOIDA/PUNE: A Pune police team on Tuesday morning carried out a search and seizure exercise at the residence of Hany Babu MT, an English professor with Delhi University (DU), at his Sector-78 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Elgar Parishad case.
"We have searched Babu’s house for verifying his role after his name surfaced during the arrests of earlier accused," Pune police commissioner K Venkatesham told TOI."We have seized some hard disks from his residence. We will get them forensically analysed before taking a call on further course of action. For now, we have not arrested him," he said.
Venkatesham said, "Babu (45) was in touch with GN Saibaba (a DU professor convicted in March 2017 by a Gadchiroli court for Maoist links) and was also in contact with all earlier arrested accused.”
Facebook post of Hany Babu's wife Jenny Rowena
Deputy commissioner of police Suhas Bawche told TOI, “We have got evidence which prima facie indicates his role in the case.”
A Pune police team comprising of DCP (crime) Bachchan Singh, ACP Shivaji Pawar, who is the investigating officer, cyber experts and others reached Babu’s residence for the search exercise.
Gautam Budh Nagar SSP Vaibhav Krishna said, “UP police was kept in loop and Sector-49 police station officers and staff provided logistical support,” he said.
The officer said, "Some electronic devices were seized. Only search and seizure was done. A video recording of the whole proceeding was done and the reasons for search were explained to him in English. A copy of the seizure panchnama was given with his due acknowledgement.”
Babu’s name, however, does not figure either in the FIR or the two chargesheets filed so far by the police before a special UAPA court in Pune which is hearing the case.
The Elgar Parishad held in Pune on December 31, 2017 was supported and funded by the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation as part of a larger conspiracy to create social unrest, chaos and overthrow the government. Alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Parishad contributed to the January 1, 2018 caste clashes at Koregaon Bhima near Pune, the police claimed.
Tushar Damgude, a realtor, had lodged an FIR with the Vishrambaug police on January 8, 2018 alleging inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Parishad. The alleged Maoist link first surfaced when the police carried out simultaneous raids in Pune, Mumbai and other places on April 17, 2018.
During another round of raids on June 6, 2018, the police arrested activists Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen and Mahesh Raut (all from Nagpur), Sudhir Dhawale (from Mumbai) and Rona Wilson (from New Delhi) for their alleged Maoist links and role in various unlawful activities. Gadling, also a lawyer, had represented Saibaba in the Gadchiroli case.
In another raid on August 28, the police arrested veteran author-poet P Varavara Rao (from Hyderabad), lawyers Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves (from Thane and Mumbai, respectively) and Sudha Bharadwaj (from Faridabad) for their alleged Maoist links.
All nine accused are lodged in Pune’s Yerawada central jail under judicial custody and the police have so far filed two chargesheets in relation to the case which is now at a pre-trial stage.
DUTA condemns raid on Hany Babu
Terming the Tuesday's search at Hany Babu's Noida residence 'against the very essence of democracy,' Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) condemned the attack.
Complete text of DUTA press release
Today morning at 6:30 am, the house of Dr. Hany Babu who lives in Noida, was raided by a contingent of Pune Police for six hours without a search warrant. They searched the entire house and took away all electronic devices, laptops, pen drives, mobile phone, etc. At the end of the search, the Pune Police claimed that the raid was in connection with the Bhima Koreagaon case.
Dr. Hany Babu is an Associate Professor at the English Department of the University of Delhi for more than a decade. His wife also teaches in the English Department of Miranda House, University of Delhi. Not only has he been an outstanding teacher, but has been an active participant in struggles for academic freedom, democratic right, lawful and democratic functioning of the university, equal access to university education and social justice.
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. We demand an immediate end to such blatantly threatening postures towards voices of dissent and democracy. This attack on academic freedom and freedom of expression will be opposed tooth and nail by the teachers of Delhi University and other academic institutions in the country.
Rajib Ray, President
Police made me change passwords of my social media accounts, email: Hany Babu MT
Professor Hany Babu MT's statement on police raid at his residence in Noida
Read this story in Marathi