Have Two More Maoists Been Chargesheeted by NIA in the 2023 Wayanad KDFC Office Attack Case?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Two additional suspects have been chargesheeted in the Wayanad KFDC attack case.
- The attack occurred on September 28, 2023.
- The NIA continues to investigate the case.
- The accused are linked to the CPI (Maoist) group.
- The NIA emphasizes the importance of national security in combating terrorism.
New Delhi, Sep 10 (NationPress) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against two additional individuals involved in the 2023 Maoist assault on the Wayanad (Kerala) KFDC office, according to an announcement made by the agency on Wednesday.
In the supplementary chargesheet submitted to the NIA Special Court in Ernakulam, Kerala, the accused, Santhosh Kumar A also known as Raja and H.S. Ravindra also referred to as Kottehonda Ravi or Manoj, face charges under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Arms Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act), and the Kerala Forest Act, 1961.
The NIA previously charged three other suspects - C.P. Moideen, Manoj P.M., and P.K. Soman - in connection with the case identified as RC-03/2024/NIA/KOC.
“All five suspects, recognized as members of the banned CPI (Maoist) terrorist organization, were apprehended by the NIA after it took over the investigation from the Thalapuzha police in October of last year,” stated the agency in its press release.
“Armed with lethal weapons, these five individuals trespassed into the Kerala Forest Department Corporation (KFDC) office in Wayanad on September 28, 2023,” the agency reported.
The CPI (Maoist) members, who shouted slogans, forcibly restrained the manager, threatened other employees at gunpoint, vandalized public property, and displayed posters of CPI (Maoist) within the office.
The NIA confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.
It is important to note that C.P. Moideen also known as Girish, Salil, Sajan, Manoj P.M. also known as Ashique, and P.K. Soman also recognized as Shahid or Akbar were among the five Maoists that attacked the KFDC office, shouting slogans as part of their violent anti-national agenda, as stated in the NIA’s chargesheet.
The accused are charged under various sections of the IPC, Arms Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Kerala Forest Act, 1961, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, reported an NIA official.
The NIA, which assumed control of the case shortly afterward, discovered during its investigation that C.P. Moideen, Manoj P.M., and P.K. Soman, alongside H.S. Ravindra also known as Kottehonda Ravi, and Santhosh Kumar A, were affiliated with the Military Wing People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) of CPI (Maoist).
They had established a local guerrilla unit known as Kabani Dalam in the Wayanad forests and were engaged in acts of terrorism aimed at instilling fear among the public and undermining the government. The attack on the KFDC was part of their violent anti-national objective, the NIA noted.