NIA Court Sentences 4 Maoists to RI for Assaulting and Threatening Kerala Police

Accused Roopesh has been sentenced to 10 years RI, along with Rs. 2.35 lakh in fine, while accused Kanyakumari has been sent to six years of RI with Rs. 1.05 lakh fine. Both of them were convicted under various Sections of IPC and UA(P) Act. The accused Anoop, who was convicted only under UA(P) Act will undergo eight years of RI, with fine of Rs. 60,000, and accused Ibrahim has also been punished for offences under UA(P) Act to six years of RI besides fine of Rs. 40,000.

The case was originally registered by Vellamunda police, and re-registered by NIA on January 2, 2016 as RC-01/2016/NIA/KOC ((Vellamunda Maoist case). Eight accused were identified, of whom one, Ajitha alias Anu, was subsequently killed in an exchange of fire, while two others, Mahesh alias Jayanna and Sundari, are absconding. A reward of Rs. 10 lakh has been declared against each of the absconders.

The incident had occurred on April 24, 2014, at about 10.30 PM, when, in pursuance of the conspiracy hatched by eight persons, including five activists of CPI (Maoist), had formed an unlawful assembly with deadly weapons, including AK-47 rifle. They had trespassed into the house of A. B. Pramod, Senior Civil Police Officer of Kerala Police. They trained guns at him, threatened to kill him if he helped police in anti-Maoist operations and asked him to resign from his job. They committed mischief by setting his motorcycle on fire and also pasted pamphlets of proscribed terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist) in his house, calling for armed revolution against the Government of India.

The first charge sheet was filed against three accused, including Roopesh who had led the assailants. They were charged under various sections of IPC and UA(P) Act besides the Arms Act. On January 30, 2018, a supplementary charge sheet was filed against the trio, in addition to other co accused, under relevant sections of IPC and UA(P) Act.