A Pune police team today searched the residence of a lawyer here in connection with his "provocative speeches" at an event organised to mark the 200th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle which was marred by incidents of violence, officials said today.
The programme, "Elgar Parishad", was organised at Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31 last year to commemorate the battle in which the British Army comprising Dalits had defeated the Peshwas.
Police officials said the Bhim Nagar residence of advocate Surendra Gadling was searched between 6:30 am and 1 pm in connection with an FIR registered in Pune pertaining to the Elgar Parishad.
Gadling had earlier given legal help to a number of leaders suspected to be involved in naxal activities, including suspended Delhi University professor GN Saibaba who was sentenced to life in prison on March 7 last year for alleged Maoist links and anti-India activities.
Talking to reporters, Gadling alleged that the men in uniform were troubling people like him and allowing the perpetrators of the Bhima-Koregaon violence to go scot-free.
"I did not participate in the Bhima-Koregaon event. However, we had collected funds for it like we do for any such programme. The police are troubling us and allowing those behind the violence to go scot-free. These raids are meant to silence people who have stood up to the RSS," he alleged.
He claimed that the search party took away research material he had collected over a period of 25 years.
"They even took away exam notes of my son and daughter. Pen-drives, hard drives and such items belonging to my wife were also confiscated," he alleged.