CPM observes anti-UAPA Protest Week as Alan and Thaha languish behind bars

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala CPI (M) has chosen to forget its former members Alan Shuaib and Thaha Fasal even as the party observes an anti-UAPA protest week from Friday.

Pantheeramkavu Police had arrested the youth in last November after slapping UAPA charges for alleged Maoist links.

CPM's national, state and district leaders had come out against the arrest of the two as one of them belongs to a family with strong party links. The Chief Minister backtracked from an earlier position where he had promised a probe into the situation which led to their arrest and later supported the police action.

CPM is taking a strong position against UAPA at the national level. Hence, the action of the government led by a senior Polit-Bureau member stoked the protest.

The Chief Minister did not retreat from his position about the two, despite the intervention of the national leadership of the party. The arrest of the two youth turned out to be a internal challenge for the party's Kozhikode district leadership.

The leadership was in defence mode as CPM sympathisers and well-wishers also questioned the government's stance. However, the CPM State Committee supported the Chief Minister and opted to expel Alan and Thaha from the party to settle the issue.

Lately, the national leadership decided to observe a protest week from August 21 to 26 demanding the release of all political prisoners charged with UAPA. However the decision has backfired on the leadership.

CPM leadership came out with the demand to release all the political prisoners charged with UAPA, as the Covid-19 pandemic has become a threat to them behind the bars.