Kerala court sends CPM members Alan Shuhaib, Thaha Fasal to NIA custody

CPI(M) members Alan Shuhaib and Thaha Fasal, who were arrested by the Kerala Police under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having links with Maoists, have been sent to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a day  

Kochi: A special court on January 21 has sent two students, Alan Shuhaib and Thaha Fasal, who were arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case in Kozhikode last November, to the custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a day.

The NIA court ordered that the duo, who were in judicial custody till now, to be produced before it on January 22.

In its application, the NIA had said that the accused must be interrogated on the basis of digital records and sought custody of the duo for a week.

However, the defendant argued that no new evidence had been found against the accused and therefore no custody should be granted.

During an earlier hearing, the two had told the court, "We are not Maoists. We are CPI (M) activists. The chief minister, who says we are Maoists, should bring proof of whom we killed and where we bombed. In the last election, we have served as CPI (M), booth agents. We are the ones who went out to vote and pasted posters for the party."

The two were charged under Sections 20 (punishment for being a member of terrorist gang or organisation), 38 (offence relating to membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation) of the UAPA.

Alan Shuhaib and Thaha Fasal, students of law and journalism respectively of Kannur University, were taken into custody by the police from Pantheerankavu in Kozhikode on November 1 last year.