Three Kerala Maoist guerrillas charge sheeted by NIA in 2023 forest office attack (Lead)

Ernakulam, May 31 (IANS) Three Maoist guerrillas of the Kabani Dalam squad were charge sheeted by the NIA in a Special Ernakulam Court for attacking a Kerala Forest office, restraining an official and pasting Maoist posters in Wayanad in 2023, an official said on Saturday.

C.P. Moideen alias Girish alias Salil alias Sajan, Manoj P.M. alias Ashique, and P.K. Soman alias Shahid alias Akbar were among the five Maoists who attacked the Kerala Forest Department Corporation (KFDC) office and shouted slogans as part of their violent anti-national agenda, the NIA said in the chargesheet.

The attackers had restrained a KFDC Manager and damaged public property and equipment using iron rods. Raising Maoist slogans, the men had also pasted CPI (Maoist) posters in the office premises, said the chargesheet filed on Friday.

The guerrillas have been charged under various sections of the IPC, Arms Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Kerala Forest Act, 1961 and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, said an NIA official.

The charge sheeted accused, along with two other Maoists, armed with deadly weapons, had unlawfully assembled and criminally trespassed into the KFDC office on September 28, 2023, said the charge sheet.

After the incident, four attackers were arrested by the law enforcement agencies, and one had surrendered before the police.

The NIA, which took over the case a few days later, found during the investigation that C.P. Moideen, Manoj P.M., and P.K. Sonam, along with H. S. Ravindra alias Kotehonda Ravialias alias Manoj alias Ramu and Santhosh Kumar A alias Sandhosh Kumar alias Raja, were members of the Military Wing People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) of CPI (Maoist).

They had formed a local guerrilla squad named Kabani Dalam in Wayanad forests, and were actively engaged in acts of terrorism, aimed at spreading fear among the public and destabilising the government. The attack at KFDC was part of their violent anti-national agenda, the NIA said.

--IANS

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