Telangana police links Malayali journalist, activists to Maoism to file UAPA case

Kozhikode: The Telangana police have filed an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case against Malayali journalists, human rights activists, and individuals, triggering a wave of controversy, reported ‘Eenaadu’ daily.

The case named seven Malayalis, including senior journalist and Editor-in-Chief of the Malabar Journal, KP Sethunath of Ernakulam. The incident comes on the heels of the arrest of Sanjay Deepak Rao, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) (CPI Maoist), which subsequently led to the filing of this new UAPA case against 23 individuals.

The charges in the case include sections 18(B) and 20 of the UAPA, Telangana Public Security Act, and section 25 of the Arms Act. Among those implicated alongside KP Sethunath are the Marxist thinker and writer K Murali (Ajith), human rights activist CP Rashid, CP Ismail, CP Moideen (Malappuram), Pradeep, and Varghese.

K Murali's name appears in the category of "senior Maoist leaders," a classification shared with well-known figures like Namballa Keshav Rao, Muppallap Lakshman Rao, and Mallaraj Reddy. In contrast, Sethunath's name is categorized as "other leaders." The list also includes names of individuals from Telangana described as leaders of mass organizations.

The public first became aware of this development when writer, journalist, and translator N Venugopal took to Facebook to share the news from Eenaadu and express his objection to his name being included in the UAPA case.

Venugopal, who has been accused in the case as a leader of the cultural organization 'Virasam,' clarified that he had severed ties with the organization 14 years ago. Moreover, he revealed that the Telangana police had previously attempted to file two UAPA cases against him, but the High Court dismissed both.

This UAPA case has sparked concerns about the implications for press freedom and civil liberties. The accused individuals, including KP Sethunath, continue to deny involvement in unlawful activities and call for a thorough and fair investigation into the matter.