Former DU Professor Hany Babu Returns to Kerala After Five Years in Jail

Thrissur: Former Delhi University professor Hany Babu (59) has returned to his native place in Kerala, Thrissur after spending five years in jail in the Bhima Koregaon case. Although he was granted bail in December 2025 by the Bombay High Court, he was only permitted to go home now. He has come to visit his mother, Fathima, and will spend two weeks in Thrissur with his wife, Jeni Rovana, and daughter, Fathima. He recalled that the letters written by his mother during his imprisonment provided great relief to him.

Hany Babu was arrested on July 28 under the UAPA. He was charged with being a Maoist and conspiring to attack Narendra Modi. The NIA also alleged that Hani Babu supported G.N. Saibaba, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for his alleged Maoist links.

The violent incidents that occurred during the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Bhima Koregaon battle in Pune, Maharashtra, on January 1, 2018, led to the case. One person was killed, and several others were injured in the clashes. The police claim that the violence that broke out that day was triggered by speeches made at the Elgar Parishad held in Pune on December 31, 2017. The police allege that the gathering was organised with the help of the banned Maoist organisation and that the participants had anti-national connections.