KOCHI: The UAPA charges against the two arrested students are not likely to be dropped as the state home department seems to be convinced with the evidence presented by the police against them. Furthermore, the state is actively considering the option of handing over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A high-level team led by state police chief Loknath Behera and home secretary has started reviewing the case registered by the police against Alan Suhaib and Taha Fasal, both from Kozhikode.
A senior police officer claimed the evidence seized from the duo’s houses were highly incriminating and had “anti-national” content. “There’re sufficient materials to prove the charges against the youth. We’ve presented the materials before the team reviewing the case,” said an officer.
Police have also presented certain posters, which they claim to have seized from the accused, as evidence. They reportedly exhort the cadre to resist the Central government’s decision to intrude into the freedom of people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Kozhikode city police chief A V George confirmed the police had seized evidence including CPI (Maoist) posters from the houses of the accused.
The Intelligence Bureau has also launched a parallel probe into the incident as a nationwide alert is on after Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of CPI (Maoist) had issued a statement condemning the scrapping of Articles 370 and 35A and exhorting the party cadre to help Kashmiri separatists in their “struggle for independence”. Intelligence officers said the statement was issued by the DKSZC. “The central agencies are closely watching the developments in Kerala. As per the preliminary assessment, the materials seized during the raids are mainly on the activities of the CPI (Maoists),” the officers claimed.