Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed chargesheet in the Ernakulam NIA Special Court against against three in the Kozhikode Maoist case.
The chargesheet was filed against 20-year-old Alan Shuhaib and Thaha Fazal,24, arrested in connection with the case and absconding accused C P Usman, 40. They have been charged under IPC Section 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)Act.
The case was registered on November 1, 2019 in Kozhikode city against the three after the police recovered documents and propaganda material supporting CPI (Maoist) from Shuhaib and Fazal, while they were conducting a meeting with Usman, who escaped. The case was re-registered by NIA Kochi unit later.
During investigation it was established that Shuhaib, Fazal and Usman were members of proscribed CPI (Maoist) and were involved in certain unlawful activities for furthering their terrorist cause in Kerala.
Further investigation is still on in the case.
Fazal and Alan, students of journalism and law respectively and the CPI(M)'s branch committee members, were arrested on November 2 from Kozhikode, leading to widespread criticism in the Left-ruled state.
Both CPI(M) and its ally CPI had slammed Kerala's Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over invoking UAPA in the case. As reported earlier, it triggered an uproar against the state government and the Home Department, which is headed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself, from various quarters. Even the functionaries of the ruling CPM is reportedly divided on the issue.
