THRISSUR: The family members of Maoist couple, Thekkiniyedathu Roopesh and Puthuveetil Shyna, who were picked up by security agencies from Karumathampatti in Coimbatore on Monday night, have said that they would take up the matter legally.
Ami T R , the eldest daughter of the couple, told ‘Express’ that her parents have been following an ideology and the couple had not looted or assaulted anyone.
“They have been trying to fix the system which is in a shambles and we take pride in being their daughters,” said Ami, who is preparing for LLB entrance exam.
She said she has not seen her father since 2006 and her mother was also absconding since 2008. Shyna, who was a firebrand leader of CPM (ML) from her student days, reportedly went underground after the arrest of national-level Maoist leader Malla Raja Reddy from the couple’s house at Angamaly in April 2008. The younger daughter of the couple, an eighth standard student, Savera, lives at Shyna’s house at Chanthapadi in Valappad with Nafeesa, mother of Shyna, a retired supervisor with Health Department. Roopesh hails from Peringottukara near the coastal region of Valappad. Ami said People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) general secretary P A Pauran, a lawyer based in Manjeri, was informed about the arrest of the couple by a higher police official in Coimbatore and the family has entrusted him to provide legal assistance for the couple.
Pauran told ‘Express’ that PUCL’s TN general secretary Bal Murugan would appear on behalf of the couple in the court. Though the couple and the other three Maoists are most likely to be remanded by the court, we would pull out all stops within the framework of law to release them in bail. “To my knowledge, no cases have been registered against them for committing any serious crime,” Pauran claimed.
He said he would visit the couples along with some relatives of Roopesh on Wednesday. Roopesh’s elder brother T R Rajesh said though he did not personally subscribe to Maoist ideology, he will take up the matter legally.Anoop Was An SFI Leader
Anoop, who was arrested near Coimbatore along with Maoist leader Roopesh, was an SFI leader. Belonging to Kumplampoika, Anoop was the SFI Ranni area committee secretary in 2006 and also worked as the district committee member. After his polytechnic days, Anoop severed links with SFI on ideological grounds. He later worked with RMP for a short period. In 2011, he went to a Gulf country and returned to the native place after a few months. After coming back from Gulf, he told relatives for the desire to work along with tribals. Since 2012, Anoop lost the connections with home and the relatives. For inquiry and collecting details, the district superintendent of police visited the house of at Kumplampoika and collected details from his mother.