KOCHI: The Kerala Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has interrogated a youth, who was arrested in a Maoist case, at Viyyur High-Security Prison as part of the investigation into the disappearance of a Thrissur native since 2023. Wayanad native Vijith Vijayan, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Kozhikode Maoist case, was questioned by the ATS team.
The ATS recently sought permission from the NIA court in Kochi to question Vijith as part of the probe into the missing case of Thrissur native Manoj since February 2023. It was reported that Manoj, a former BTech student at Kozhikode Government Engineering College, went missing while pursuing an MA in Philosophy at Kerala University in Thiruvananthapuram. “The NIA court granted permission to question Vijith at the prison, and the interrogation took place on May 30. However, he did not provide much information about Manoj,” ATS sources said.
According to ATS officials, Manoj and Vijith were close friends while studying at Kozhikode Government Engineering College. It was later discovered during the probe that they were both involved in student politics and were subsequently associated with the CPI(Maoist) group. “We suspect that after the crackdown on the Maoist group, Manoj went into hiding. There are reports suggesting that he was in the company of leaders of Maoist groups. We are investigating his possible links with the proscribed organisation,” an ATS official stated.
Following Manoj’s disappearance, his mother filed a missing person report at Viyyur Police Station in Thrissur in February 2023. As Manoj was residing at Karyavattom for his studies, the investigation was transferred to Kazhakkoottam police station. The ATS became involved in the investigation after his suspected ties to Maoist groups surfaced.
The case against Vijith involves facilitating arrangements for Maoist leaders. The case first came to light after Kozhikode natives Thwaha Fasal and Alan Suhaib were arrested in Pantheerankavu in November 2019. The trial of the case is currently ongoing at the NIA court in Kochi.