Kozhikode: P Mohanan, CPM's Kozhikode district secretary has reiterated that his party had not erred in slapping the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on its former members Thwaha Fasal and Allan Shuhaib in the Pantheerankavu Maoist case.
CPM branch committee members Thwaha and Allan, both students, were arrested in November 2019 from Kozhikode in connection with a banned Maoist meeting.
The police had allegedly seized objectionable materials from them, including violent exhortations for civil war, in tune with Maoist ideology.
The state police had slapped UAPA charges on the two youth and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had based its probe on the same.
After the arrests, the CPM Kozhikode district committee had accused them of holding Maoist links.
The CPM had been on the backfoot after the opposition and critics blamed the party for using the draconian law to silence the two youth.
Last month, Thwaha was granted bail after his advocate argued that the NIA charge sheet reportedly failed to establish his alleged intention to indulge in Maoist activities. Shuhaib had been granted bail earlier.
The CPM had expelled them from the party following their arrests. The latest remark from Mohanan comes after two local committees raised the issue. They had accused the police (under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Home department) of acting in a haste and claimed that the party had suffered a setback as the two youths belong to CPM families.
