Jailed naxalas, OGWs under NIA's lense for mobilising inmates for terror acts

NIA sources say jailed Maoist leaders are trying to revive the organisation in various places which were once their strongholds now destroyed by the security forces, writes ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi: Several jailed Maoist cadres and their over-ground workers (OGW) in various jails of Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are under the scanner of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) following inputs of their involvement in reviving the old Naxals besides mobilising other inmates for orchestrating terror activities.

A case in point, according to the NIA officials, is that of a hardcore Maoist cadre Pradyuman Sharma and Abhinav alias Bittu are conspiring to revive the organisation in the Magadh zone. They are found liaisoning with the jailed inmates and OGWs, an official said.

"They conspired to raise funds for procurement of arms and ammunition and imparting training to Maoists cadres in the fabrication of IEDs and to liaise with incarcerated Naxals and OGWs in various jails for the commission of terrorist acts and activities," the official charged.

In Magadh zone, the NIA official said the Maoists were involved in scheming for revival of their activities here and raising necessary funds for the organisational functioning. "Some of the Maoist leaders are instrumental in getting the new and old cadres together. They are trying to revive the anti-state activities," the official said.

Naxals are attempting to revive includes areas like Gaya, Jehanabad, Awal, Aurangabad and Nawada districts of Bihar, by motivating the old and surrendered cadres. The Magadh zone was once the hotbed of criminal activities. Naxals were involved in farming contrabands items like marijuana and opium to raise funds.

A senior NIA official told ETV Bharat on Monday that such jailed hardcore Maoist cadres have been found trying to revive the organisation in various places which were once their strongholds now stand destroyed by the security forces. It is pertinent to note the Union Home Ministry has recently wrote to States and UTs asking the prison administration to ensure that inmates inclined towards propagating the ideology of radicalization be segregated and housed in separate enclosures.