A group of writers, academics, intellectuals, journalists and activists has claimed that the Kerala Government is empowered to ask the Centre to transfer back to the State police the ongoing probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Alan Shuhaib and Thaha Fazal, CPI(M) workers arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for suspected Maoist links.
Functionaries of the Alan-Thaha Human Rights Committee told the media here on Wednesday that the arrest of the two youths was an example of the “wanton misuse of UAPA provisions”. The committee has prepared a petition highlighting its demand with signatures from people such as eminent filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, writers N.S. Madhavan and K.G. Sankara Pillai, and veteran journalist B.R.P. Bhaskar.
Azad, convener of the committee, claimed that the NIA taking up the probe should not be seen as the end of the road in the case. “The amended NIA Act has a provision that allows the State Government to conduct the investigation even in the case of offences scheduled under the Act. Section 7 of the Act relates to the ‘power to transfer investigation to the State Government,” he said. Mr. Azad said that Section 7 (b) allowed transfer of the case to the State for investigation and trial.
He claimed that Alan and Thaha were arrested not on the basis of their involvement in any criminal activity or any complaint. “Are they the only Maoists in the State?” Mr. Azad asked. He accused senior CPI(M) leaders and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of behaving like court witnesses with their frequent statements to help the NIA probe.
K. Ajitha, women’s rights activist, who is the vice-president of the committee, asked why the Chief Minister was not opposing the UAPA with the vigour with which he was taking on the Citizenship Amendment Act. The committee is planning to hold a protest in Thiruvananthapuram on February 12 and meet Mr. Vijayan to hand over a memorandum in this connection.
