New Delhi: In a major crackdown on over-ground workers, sympathisers and associates of CPI (Maoist), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted searches at 14 locations across Jharkhand and Bihar. The searches were conducted at eight locations in Jharkhand, including the Ranchi office of Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikash Andolan (VVJVA) and the houses of the associates and supporters of CPI (Maoist) in Bokaro, Dhanbad, Ramgarh and Giridih districts of the state.
In Bihar, the searches were conducted at six locations in Khagaria, Gaya and Aurangabad districts. All the suspects whose houses were searched have links with Politburo and Central Committee members of CPI (Maoist), a senior NIA official said. Incriminating documents related to the activities of the banned outfit, along with several mobile phones, DVD discs, documents related to Majdoor Sangathan Samiti (MSS) and VVJVA, as well as bank account details, were seized during the operations.
The case related to FIR No. RC 01/2022/NIA/RNC, dated April 25, 2022, was registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and various sections of the IPC against the Politburo/ Central Committee members of CPI (Maoist), for hatching a conspiracy to spread the organisation’s ideology in these two States, as well as other Indian States, including Chhattisgarh.
“These members were liaising with their incarcerated CPI (Maoist) cadres and over-ground workers to further their objectives,” the official said. Those named in the FIR have been identified as Misir Besra, Vivek, Anal Da, Pramod Mishra, Nambala Keshava Rao, Muppal Laxamna Rao, Mallojula Venugopal, Katakam Sudarshan, Gajrala Ravi, Modem Balakrishnan, Sabyasachi Goswamy and Prashant Bose & others.
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In another development, NIA on Tuesday arrested one more accused in the Phulwarisharief case relating to unlawful and anti-national activities of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). “The accused arrested today has been identified as Anwar Rashid, a resident of Sant Ravidas Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. His arrest followed detailed examination and analysis by the NIA of the various incriminating documents, digital devices and letters seized earlier during a search at his house on April 25,” another official said.
With this arrest, the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 14. The case was initially registered on July 12, 2022, at Phulwarisharif police station of Patna district in Bihar and re-registered as case no. case 31/2022/NIA/DLI by NIA on July 22, 2022. The NIA had filed a chargesheet against four accused on January 7, 2023.
“Investigations have revealed that Anwar is a former member of the banned terrorist organisation SIMI and is currently associated with several PFI members of Bihar and UP, including one Athar Parvez, who was named in the FIR and arrested on July 12 last year,” the official said. The NIA investigation revealed that Anwar was instrumental in preparing a secret group of ex-SIMI members to work for PFI. The prime agenda, under the banner of PFI, was to establish Islamic Rule in India as envisioned in the outfit’s ‘India 2047 Document’.
