FBI to help crack hard disk seized in Elgar Parishad case

New Delhi, Dec 27: The FBI would help the Pune police decode the material in a hard disk that was seized in connection with the Elgar Parishad case.

The broken hard disk that was seized from the house of Varavara Rao would be sent to the FBI. The decision was taken after the Pune based experts were unable to retrieve the data on the disk.

The Union Home Ministry gave the nod to send the hard disk to the FBI. The FBI has a more advanced set up and would be able to decode the disk.

Rao was arrested on August 28 last year. The prosecution had recently submitted a chargesheet against 19 accused.

In the chargesheet filed, the police said that some of the naxal leaders were conspiring to kill the PM and had planned on procuring arms and ammunition with an intention of waging war against the country.

The police also said that the Maoists are trying to mobilise and incite Dalits and the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune last December was part of this strategy. The Maoist-backed conclave "aggravated" the violence at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, the charge sheet said.