Analysts sympathetic to RSS have expressed their suspicion about involvement of Maoist extremists in the Bhima-Koregaon agitation. This suspicion was based on strategic use of violence that was evident in the whole period from Elgar Parishad in Pune to 3rd January 2018's Maharashtra Bandh. Dalits in Maharashtra, even when intellectually more awoken than Dalits elsewhere were not known to exhibit their political nuisance value in such organized manner. So the observed sense of timing, sudden agitations on 2nd January and agitators appearing at unexpected locations like Thane or western suburbs contrary to the expectation of Eastern Mumbai an epicentre, have made analyst hypothesize the presence of naxalites.
The suspicion has turned more solid as ATS has caught some alleged maoists involved in Bhima-Koregaon violence. (News here) Regional newspapers have not revealed the name of anyone, but ToI news has the name of leader.
Naxalites is the worst form of violence, equal to Islamic terrorism, as the end goal of this violence is some utopian undemocratic form of polity. I have some sympathy towards naxalites since the ultimate cause of naxalite violence, exploitation of tribals is a real tragedy in democratic India. And in India, it is violence that can uplift the political status of any group, not any other expression. But the violence needs to serve the democratic goals, winning the election to increase the patronage of party's support base and it cannot be against the police. That's where Naxalites have misled the whole question of tribals. But there is some room to think that it was the only resort left to them. But now as they have brought the question of tribals in the light, they have to dissolve in more democratic institution, something which they do not seem to wish. The continuation of naxalite violence will generate increasing collateral damage and delay the integration of tribal in mainstream India. In my opinion, Indian state needs to apologize to tribals for decades of neglect and then naxalites should be given 10 year imprisonment where they can be politically active, but spatially constrained. It will need imagination and some elementary trust from both sides, but that seems difficult to happen.
Coming back to alleged participation of naxalites in Bhima-Koregaon agitation, I think as much as realistic possibility of such participation, there is also realistic possibility that 'participation of naxalites' is the ruse used by BJP. Once naxalites are proved to be the mastermind of Bhima-Koregaon, the dalit anger narrative doesn't remain the cause of agitation. The story becomes 'naive dalit activists being misled by unpatriotic naxalites' and then BJP is a grieving party.
I think that naxalites have some participation in the agitation. What is actually more worrying is use of BJP's playbook in developing Bhima-Koregaon agitation. Sentimental historical inconclusive issue and democratically delimited violence are the tools BJP have successfully applied in their rise. So far, opposition to BJP was ideological and hence difficult to get popular momentum. Now, the BJP opposition is bringing together the wider unrest in non-metropolitan youth due to widening gap between aspiration and realization and politics of inflammable sentiments. That is the potent mixture and BJP needs to douse it on urgent basis.
Hence it is important that inquiry of captured naxalites is well-communicated to the public and shouldn't happen in opaque manner. Shifting the narrative of dalit anger to dalit being used by naxalites will serve the short term interest, but that is not going to help in bigger question. I hope long run sensibility will prevail over short-run gains.