NIA cracks down on banned left organisation CPI Maoist
New Delhi Sept 6
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday cracked down against attempts by leaders and cadres of CPI (Maoist) to revive the banned organisation.
The NIA conducted raids across Uttar Pradesh at premises of accused and suspects at eight locations in Prayagraj, Chandauli, Varanasi, Deoria and Azamgarh districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Several digital devices, including mobile phones, laptops, pen drives, compact discs and memory cards, were seized during the raids, along with SIM cards, Naxal literature, books, pamphlets, pocket diaries, money receipt books and other incriminating documents.
NIA investigations indicate that several frontal organisations and Students Wings have been tasked to motivate recruit cadres and propagate the ideology of CPI (Maoist) with the intent of waging a war against the Government of India.
They were conspiring to commit acts of violence in furtherance of this agenda, NIA said.
Investigations have also revealed that Pramod Mishra was leading the cadres and sympathizers over ground workers of CPI (Maoist) to revive the organisation that is banned.
Earlier, last month, Bihar Police had arrested one Rohit Vidyarthi, the brother of Ritesh Vidyarthi whose wife is named in the FIR relating to the case. Rohit’s interrogation had further led the state police to the arrest of Pramod Mishra who is in-Charge of the Northern Regional Bureau of CPI (Maoist).
Following these arrests, the state police had seized arms, ammunition and a gun factory, where a lathe had been installed for making parts of weapons and assembling country made weapons in Bihar and U.P.
The FIR filed by the NIA in connection with the case earlier had named accused Manish Azad and Ritesh Vidyarthi, along with their associates Vishwavijay and his wife Seema Azad, Amita Shireen (wife of Manish Azad), Kripa Shankar, Soni Azad (wife of Ritesh Vidyarthi), Akanksha Azad and Rajesh Azad as some of the key accused working to further the CPI (Maoist) revival attempts.
