NIA searches arrested DU Professor Hany Babu's residence

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday conducted searches at the residence of Delhi University professor Hany Babu, who was arrested in connection with Bhima Koregaon case, in Uttar Pradesh's Noida and claimed that he was in touch with banned Manipuri outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (MC).

The NIA team, including two women personnel, arrived at Babu's residence in Noida, near Delhi, at around 7:30 AM and left at around 10:30 AM.

Also Read: Student outfits, teachers condemn arrest of Delhi University professor Hany Babu in Bhima Koregaon case

The NIA had accused Babu of propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology and was a co-conspirator with other arrested accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. Earlier, human rights activists and academicians including Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut, Sudhir Dhawale, P Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira were arrested.

In a statement, the NIA said it recovered an account ledger, a receipt book of the Committee for the Defence and Release of Dr GN Saibaba, several documents as well as electronic items such as hard disk and USB pen drive.

Jenny Rowena, a lecturer in Miranda House College in Delhi and Babu's wife, said the investigating team told her that they were conducting the searches to collect evidence in the case against Babu (54), who was arrested on July 28 in Mumbai.

Also Read: Bengaluru activists slam DU professor’s arrest

She said some pamphlets of G N Saibaba Defence Committee of which Babu was part of, pen drives and a computer hard-disk.

"We are getting shocking reports that the house of Dr Jenny Rowena, who teaches in Miranda House, and is wife of recently arrested Prof Hany Babu, is being raided right now. I strongly protest and urge the Government to desist from these illegal, strong-arm tactics and immediately stop this witch hunt against academics and scholars," Delhi University Teachers Union (DUTA) president Rajib Ray said in a statement as the searches were proceeding.

After the searches, the DUTA said the NIA was in Hany and her house under the pretext of evidence collection. "Now they have left, friends and colleagues are with her but the harassment continues under one pretext or other," it said.

In the statement, NIA claimed that Babu was in contact with Paikhomna Meitei, Secretary (Information and Publicity and Military Affairs) of Kangleipak Communist Party (MC), who had shared an interview of top CPI (Maoist) leader Ganapathy with him. Communications of Babu with other Maoists of Manipur have also been retrieved, it claimed.

The statement also said that Babu along with Wilson took the initiative to help CPI (Maoist) leader Pallath Govindankutty financially by raising funds after his release from jail.

It also said that Babu along with Wilson, Teltumbde, P Varavara Rao and Gadling formed a Committee for the release of Saibaba.

The NIA had taken over the Bhima Koregaon case from Pune Police and registered a case on 20 January this year. The Pune Police had filed an FIR in 2018 – and a Special Investigation Team was formed.

Pune Police had last September conducted searches at the residence of Babu in Noida, near Delhi, in connection with the case. Police had taken away three books, laptop, phone and hard disks.