Varavara Rao says SC relief slap for govt

The Maharashtra Police on Thursday brought revolutionary poet and activist P Varavara Rao to his Gandhinagar residence in Hyderabad and put him under house arrest till September 6.

Reacting on his arrival, Rao said, "Though the relief is temporary, the Supreme Court order is a slap on the government. Just because we mooted a platform against fascism, they booked a conspiracy case against us. In fact, the case is a conspiracy".

At home, Rao was received by his wife Hemalatha. Rao was barred from media interaction but was allowed to meet his children, doctors and his lawyers. Rao’s return was made possible a day after he and four other rights activists, who were arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon case, were given relief by the Supreme Court. The four others who were arrested on Tuesday are Vernon Gonzalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bhardwaj and Gautam Navalakha.

“I am saying it from the beginning, that on basis of false statements, a case was filed against me. I have faith in the law," a news agency quoted Rao as saying.

Hemalatha, who was allowed to speak to the media, said that her husband was brought home from Pune around 7 am by flight. She said Rao’s mobile phone has been seized by the police and that he has been advised not to speak to the media.

Few advocates who met Rao at his residence said that the apex court directions made it clear that no other facilities will be provided to Rao, except a homely environment, unlike a jail. They said Rao is in good health.

The Pune Police carried out searches in Rao's house and questioned him for eight hours on Tuesday before formally arresting him. He was taken to Pune the same night on a transit warrant from a local court.