NIA chargesheets four in Chhattisgarh Naxal activities case

Raipur, Oct 1 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against four more accused in a case related to the promotion of the terror activities of the banned CPI (Maoist) in Chhattisgarh.

So far, seven accused have been chargesheeted in the case.

In the supplementary chargesheet filed against four accused, three of them, identified as Sunita Potam, Shankar Muchaki and Dashrath alias Dasru Modiyam, were office bearers of Moolwasi Bachao Manch (MBM), a frontal organisation of the CPI (Maoist), and arrested in the past, a statement by the agency said on Wednesday.

The fourth accused, Mallesh Kunjam, who has been named in the chargesheet, was an armed Maoist cadre and is still absconding, it said.

The MBM was banned by the state government under provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005 in October last year.

All four accused named in the chargesheet were involved in activities like collection, storage and disbursal of funds for Maoists, the NIA said.

The CPI (Maoist) used these funds for staging protests against the democratically elected government and the development activities being carried out in the state. These illicit funds were being channelised through frontal organisation like MBM, it added.

In the case, a total of six persons have so far been arrested, while seven accused, including absconder Mallesh, have been chargesheeted, it said.

The NIA case originated from an action carried out by the Bijapur police in 2023.

In May 2023, Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district police arrested Gajendra Madvi and Laxman Kunjam, both overground workers of MBM, and seized Rs 6 lakh in junked Rs 2000 notes belonging to Naxalites.

They were on their way to deposit the funds in various bank accounts at the behest of CPI (Maoist) leaders when they were caught, the statement said.

Later, Bijapur police chargesheeted Madvi and Kunjam in November 2023.

The NIA, which took over the case in February 2024, filed the first supplementary chargesheet in August this year. Fresh charges were filed against Madvi and Kunjam. Another arrest accused, Raghu Midiyami, was also charged.

The NIA is continuing with its investigation in the case, the agency said. PTI TKP GK