The three leaders of the Provisional Central Committee, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) or CPI (M-L) (PCC) who were allegedly detained “illegally” by the Paschim Medinipur District Police on May 17 had been charged with sedition. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrates’ Court in Jhargram in Paschim Medinipur remanded Jiten Giri, Sunil Barik and Niranjan Bera to six days in police custody on Tuesday.
“Apart from sedition, Giri, Barik and Bera were also charged with criminal conspiracy,” their counsel Ashini Mondal told The Hindu on Tuesday. He also said that in the court, the police alleged that on May 17 the three persons were spotted roaming around “suspiciously” in Lodhasuli area in the district.
“On getting the information the police reached the spot and found that they (Giri, Barik and Bera) were carrying Maoist leaflets,” said Mr. Mondal.
They would be produced in court again on May 25. CPI (M-L) (PCC) is not a banned organisation.
This comes a day after the CPI (M-L) (PCC) general secretary Santosh Rana alleged in a press statement that the three party leaders were being illegally detained by the police and had not been produced in court even 24 hours after the detention. Mr. Rana also alleged that the three party leaders were detained for putting up posters demanding release of Chhatradhar Mahato.
Mahato, convener of the CPI (Maoist)-backed Police Santrash Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (PSBJC) or the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities, was convicted by a court in Paschim Medinipur district last week for sedition and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 2008.
