Manoj, accused of Maoist links, shout slogans as he is taken from the sessions court in Ernakulam on Friday.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A man arrested for alleged Maoist links was remanded in judicial custody after the Kerala Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) produced him before the sessions court on Friday. The man, identified as Manoj, 26, alias Ashik, was arrested from near Ernakulam South railway station on Thursday.
While being presented in the court, he raised slogans hailing the banned organisation CPI (Maoist), the Naxalbari movement, and people’s uprising. As his counsel accused the ATS of custodial torture, the court directed that he be produced again on Saturday along with a medical report. The court will decide on the custody application on Saturday. The investigation agency has sought his custody for 12 days.
Manoj was allegedly involved in activities of the banned organisation in the Wayanad forests and has multiple cases against his name, sources said. It is alleged that he was linked to the Kabani ‘dalam’ of the proscribed organisation.
He was reported missing in 2023 while doing research in philosophy at the University of Kerala at Karyavattom. The ensuing police investigation allegedly unravelled his Maoist links. Subsequently, the case was taken over by the ATS. He allegedly maintained contacts with leaders of Maoist outfits including CPI (Maoist).
Manoj was under surveillance and he was nabbed while trying to board a train from Ernakulam where he had reportedly come to meet a friend. The ATS has also launched a probe into his connections in Ernakulam.