National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided multiple location across states as part of efforts to unveil and scuttle a plot to revive the Northern Regional Bureau (NRB) of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) along with its attempt to strengthen its National Regional Bureau.
The sleuths of the agency raided a total of nine locations across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, August 29 and seized several digital devices such as laptops, pen drives, mobile phones, compact discs, hard drives, memory cad along with sim cards and pocket diaries from suspects alleged to be receiving funds to propagate the Maoist ideology.
These suspects were receiving funds for propagation of CPI (Maoist) ideology from the erstwhile Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB) head Prashant Bose (a top Maoist leader who is considered the brainchild behind the merger of two prominent Maoist group to form CPI Maoist in 2004, currently lodging in prison in Jharkhand), NIA investigation have revealed, read a press note issued by the agency on Friday, August 30.
The ERB particularly Jharkhand has been funding the suspects, believed to be long time associates and Over Ground Workers of the accused (named in a case being investigated by the agency) to recruit cadres and raise the organisation in the northern states, added the release.
NIA Conducts Multi-State Raids in CPI (Maoist) Northern Regional Bureau Revival Attempt Case pic.twitter.com/vKUc9TtLUx
— NIA India (@NIA_India) August 30, 2024
The raids have been conducted in connection with a case registered by the premiere investigative agency in June last year which has led to the revelation that several front organisations and student wings have been tasked with identifying suitable persons to work as underground workers, to wage war against the Government of India and to carry out violent terrorist act as per the ideology of the proscribed outfit.
Students wing leader premise raided in Prayagraj
The agency officials during the multi-state crackdown on Thursday raided the rented premise of a students union leader in Prayagraj. The officials reached out the premises in the wee hours of Thursday and seized documents, literature along with interrogating the said individual for around six hours.
Devendra Azad, co-secretary of Inqualabi Chhatra Morcha was further served a notice to appear before the Lucknow based regional office of the agency on September 15, reported Hindustan Times. Azad, who hails from Agra is reportedly preparing for competitive examinations. He is a member of working committee of civil society.
Other than Prayagraj, raids were conducted in Maharajganj of Deoria, here the officials reportedly interrogated two persons. This comes months after the agency conducted raids on multiple locations of Prayagraj, Chandauli, Varanasi, Deoria and Azamgarh districts on September 5 last year in connection with the case.
Four locations raided in Punjab
Search operations were also carried out at multiple locations in Punjab including premises of a suspect linked with a farmer union. Other than Punjab two locations of Haryana and one in the capital city of Delhi was also raided by the sleuths of the agency.
All the aforementioned states along with Himanchal Pradesh constitutes the National Regional Bureau of CPI (Maoist) which the terror entity is targeting aggressively in a bid to re-energies itself, informed the NIA’s release.
It is worth mentioning here, that the agency is also probing a case involving a plot to revive Maoist insurgency in Purvanchal region which is part of the broader “2U region” of the outlaws encompassing parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttar (North) Bihar.
Read more at: NIA takes over investigation in Purvanchal Maoist revival case……
The case was re-registered by the NIA in November last year, months after the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of UP police in a swift operation apprehended five cadres of the banned outfit from Sahatwar of Balia district on August 16. Subsequent investigation into the case revealed that the arrested individuals were indulged in recruiting youths and brainwashing them for taking up arms against the government.
Founded in 2004, the banned CPI (Maoist) aimed to overthrow the democratic government and replace it by Jantana Sarkar (a self-styled administration of Maoists, drawing inspiration from far left ideology) by applying various schemes including armed rebellion against the government led by its People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) with assistance from groups of sympathisers, OGWs associated with various front organization spanning across the country.
