Mahesh Raut

Mahesh Raut is an activist working with Adivasi in Gadchiroli. He is the youngest accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.

Personal life
Raut was born in Lakhapur village in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region. He did his schooling at Navodaya School in Gadchiroli. He briefly worked as a primary school teacher in 2007. In 2009, he joined TISS, Mumbai to study social work. After completing his degree from TISS, Raut was selected for the Prime Minister Rural Development (PMRD) fellowship. In 2018, he suffered from acute ulcerative colitis.

Activism
Raut is a co-convener of the Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vilas Andolan (VVJVA), which fights the displacement of marginalised communities. Under the VVJVA, he has campaigned along with the Adivasi communities of the region to sell Tendu leaves directly into the market without the involvement of the middlemen. He is also a member of the Bharat Jan Andolan, a human rights NGO. He has campaigned against mining projects in Gadhciroli, including the Surajgarh mining project.

Arrest
On 6 June 2018, he was arrested from his house by the Pune Police, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He is currently lodged at Taloja central jail.