Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday held Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan personally responsible for the controversial arrest and incarceration of two Muslim youths, both Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers, on Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges at Panthirankavu in Kozhikode in November.
In an open letter to Mr. Vijayan on the eve of the budget session of the Assembly, Mr. Chennithala said the Chief Minister was morally obliged to reveal what shred of evidence the police had to label the students, Alan Suhaib, 21, and Taha Fazal, 19, as “urban Maoists”.
He said Mr. Vijayan’s condemnatory statement that the youths were urban Maoists, a term borrowed from the lexicon of the Sangh Parivar, had pained Kerala.
Mr. Chennithala said the youth were victims of authoritarian State-terrorism. Kerala would not brook such a trespass.
