Freelance Journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh who has been already facing serious allegations of having links with the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist) and was subsequently slapped with the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has landed in more trouble. Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against Rupesh Singh, citing his involvement with the banned Maoist outfit.
According to the details, the federal agency, in a press release shared on October 16, informed that the agency had filed a supplementary chargesheet against the accused, Rupesh Kumar Singh, in connection with the Patna naxal case registered initially by the Rohtas police and re-registered by the NIA in April last year.
The case pertains to activities of levy collection by members and leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist) who also recruited youths to revive the Maoist insurgency in Rohtas and adjoining bordering regions of Jharkhand. According to the findings of the agency the supplementary charge sheet was filed after the raids conducted by the Bihar police at the residence of Umesh Chaudhary under Samhuta police station limits of Rohtas which unveiled disturbing information about the presence of active members and leaders of the banned Maoist group in the vicinity.
The investigation further revealed that the primary objectives of these CPI Maoist operatives was to collect ransom, recruitment of new cadres and revival of the Maoist insurgency in the region. The information contained after the raids also helped the agencies to arrest Umesh Chaudhary, an active cadre of the outlawed outfit along with Vijay Kumar Arya, a member of the Central Committee (CC) of the CPI (Maoist).
The police team had also seized levy receipts, Maoist related pamphlets and electronic devices containing incriminating data from the possession of Arya and Chaudhary. The NIA investigation has further revealed that Rupesh Kumar Singh was not only an active cadres of the banned CPI Maoist but also held the prestigious rank of Special Area Committee member (SAC). Furthermore the freelancer journo from Jharkhand also held the position of Chief Editor of the ‘Laal Chingari’ magazine, a publication of the outlawed Maoist outfit.
The central investigative agency in the press release further claimed that Singh himself supplied soft copies of the said magazine to the top commanders of the CPI (Maoist) in various states across the country. He also played a crucial part in motivating CPI cadres to consolidate supporters under the banner of the outlawed group with an intent to wage war against the government of Bharat.
Further the NIA investigation revealed that Rupesh also attended meetings at the Chakarbandha Maoist camps and conspired with the top brass of the outlawed outfit to further their nefarious and unlawful objectives of collection of levy, recruitment of new members, procurement of arms, ammunition and explosives, all with the explicit aim of strengthening the banned terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist)
Who is Rupesh Kumar Singh?
Rupesh Kumar Singh is a Jharkhand based journalist associated with websites such as Media Vigil, Janchowk and others, his reports have also appeared in a few magazines. A resident of Ramgarh, Rupesh Singh has reported extensively on the issues pertaining to alleged violence by the security forces in Maoist affected tribal (Vanvasi) dominated regions of the state.
He was earlier arrested by the Jharkhand police in 2019 and was released after remaining six months in jail. However, Singh was once again arrested by the state police from his Ramgarh’s residence in July 2022 and was slapped with UAPA for allegedly arranging funds for the proscribed CPI (Maoist).
Singh’s name also popped up in a leaked database which reflects potential targets of cyber surveillance through alleged use of Pegasus software.
Following the arrest of Rupesh, many individuals along with a few non profit organisations rallied behind him and opposed the arrest. The Jharkhand based journalist also got support from foreign based human right activists who also penned a letter to the union government raising concerns over his arrest.However the recent revelation by the NIA in the Patna naxal case suggests Singh’s role as a SAC member of the banned outfit. It is to be noted that Singh was held in connection with the case registered against the top Maoist leader, Prashant Bose alias Kishan Da, who along with his wife Sheela Marandi were arrested by the police in November 2021.
