The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad on Tuesday arrested an activist couple from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh for their alleged links with Naxal ideology.
‘Translators’
Dismissing the allegations, the arrested couple’s family members said that both were “professional translators” with a record of activism and academics.
Manish Srivastava and Anita Srivastava were arrested from their present residence in the Shahpur area of Bhopal, U.P. ATS chief Aseem Arun said.
The two are accused of living in Bhopal using false identities and fake documents.
“For now they are booked for forgery,” said Mr. Arun.
Further action will be taken against the duo after an examination of the recovered “literature” and “digital media”, said the officer, without providing details. The Srivastavas belong to Machlishahr in Jaunpur district of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The ATS said it made the arrests after it got inputs that some people with “Naxal ideology” were engaging in “anti-national activities”.
The ATS also picked up six others from three locations in Deoria and Kanpur but released them after questioning. Their laptops, pen drives and mobile phones were seized and will be subject to data extraction, the police said.
The six mostly included activists, said sources: Brijesh of the Mazdoor Kisan Ekta Manch of Deoria and his wife Prabha, who is from the Savitri Bai Phule Sangarsh Samiti; Kripa Shankar, who runs an anti-fascist front, and his wife Vrinda, a teacher in a private school.
‘State oppression’
Mr. Srivastava’s sister Seema Azad dismissed the allegations against the couple. Ms. Azad said that the arrests were another “false story” concocted as part of “State oppression”. She added that the couple were political and social activists with a record of translation and writing work.
