Police tried to brand me as Maoist, says Nadir

Kozhikode: Nadeer (Nadi), a human rights activist, who was released from police custody on Tuesday, said that at every stage of interrogation, the police, including two DySPs,  were trying to brand him as a Maoist, though he refuted  any association with them and visiting them in Aralam. Writer Kamal C. Chavara, whom he was visiting at the hospital, was also present at the press conference here. Kamal said that he was ending his hunger strike since Nadeer was released safely. Nadeer said that his job prospects were affected as  he was about to leave for Qatar in the first week of January and he was asked to appear before Iritty DySP on January 4.

“They are saying that some of the tribals identified me as part of the Maoists who threatened them and distributed ‘Kattuthee’. However, my mobile tower locations showed that I was in Kozhikode only. So, is it possible to arrest anybody and slap a section like UAPA on the innocent,” asked  Nadeer. He said that he cleared emigration three times while going to the Gulf. One was through Mumbai and twice through Kochi and none stopped him, which proved  that he was not part of any crime. However, he said that the police did not physically torture him.