KOZHIKODE: The Police on Tuesday arrested C P Usman, the leader of the CPI (Maoist) who has been absconding for the past few years, from Pattikkad in Malappuram district.
Usman is the third accused in the case related to the arrest of Allen Shuhaib and Thwaha Fazal from Pantheerabkavu in Kozhikode on November 2, 2019. Police have said that the youths were picked up while they were talking with Usman. The Maoist leader escaped from the spot before the police could arrest him. According to the police, there are around ten cases against him under various police stations.
Usman was the activist of the CPI-ML (Naxalbari) before the outfit merged with the CPI (Maoist) on May 1, 2014. He has been engaged in the urban activities of the party since then and was made the in-charge of the Urban Bureau after the arrest of Rajan Chittillappali, who was looking after the urban movement.
The continuous arrest of the urban cadres of the Maoists in the past few years has crippled the activities of the rebels in the cities in Kerala. Besides Rajan, another senior urban activist T K Rajeevan was also arrested in December, 2020.
The Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee (WGSZC) of the Maoists are trying to regain their strength after the killing of eight persons in various encounters. Last week a group of five Maoists visited Chakkittappara in rural Kozhikode and exhorted people to fight against the move to start mining in the area.