The arrest of three youths with alleged Maoist links in Kozhikode on Tuesday, after they met with the anti-STP protest committee at Avikkal Thodu, has been a shot in the arm for the CPI(M) that had raised an allegation that the protests were backed by extremist elements.
However, the protest committee as well as the arrested youths have alleged that the CPI(M) is trying to undermine a people's protest by alleging terror links.
Released on bail
The three youths C.P. Nahas Rahman, Shaneer Erikkunnan, and Bhagat Din were arrested by the Vellayil police on Tuesday and were later released on bail. They are office-bearers of the youth movement Purogamana Yuvajana Prasthanam and had been in the city to express solidarity to the anti-STP protest.
Mr. Nahas and Mr. Shaneer had Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) imposed on them earlier but there is no case against them at present. They reportedly had some pamphlets with them calling for protests against projects such as SilverLine, tunnel road, and Sagarmala.
Following the incident, the CPI(M) district secretary P. Mohanan commented that it solidified the party’s earlier allegations that extremist factions were involved in the protest. Terming the youths ‘Urban Maoists’, he questioned if the UDF still supported the protest. He alleged that the Maoists were in touch with the Islamic extremists.
Mr. Mohanan said that CPI(M) was always ready to clear doubts of local people regarding the STP and that it would resist attempts to sabotage the project. Party workers will conduct door to door campaigns to clear misconceptions about the project, he added.
On the other hand, the protest committee opposed the allegation that it was hand in hand with the Maoists. “We had informed the police about the suspicious presence of those youths. Still we are being accused of having links with them,” Irfan Habeeb, protest committee convenor said.
Meanwhile the three youths met media persons on Thursday and urged the CPI(M) to desist using the term 'Urban Maoists', which was allegedly coined by the Sangh Parivar. They alleged that portraying protestors as terrorists or Maoists was part of State-induced terror.
They also refuted the police claims that Maoist pamphlets were seized. “They were notices prepared by Purogamana Yuvajana Prasthanam on the ongoing issues in the State. It had the names and phone numbers of our president and secretary,” Mr. Nahas said, adding that the people of Avikkal Thodu had to uphold their right to life. They also alleged that the authorities often brought up such projects at places where marginalised communities lived. The youths said they would support the protest.
