NIA chargesheets three in Kerala Forest Department office armed attack case

New Delhi, June 2
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheeted three men in connection with the armed attack at the Kerala Forest Department Corporation (KFDC) office at Wayanad, Kerala, by members of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) terrorist organisation.
The anti-terror agency filed a chargesheet against C.P. Moideen before the NIA Special Court, Ernakulam (Kerala). They have been charged under various sections of IPC, Arms Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Kerala Forest Act, 1961 and UA(P) Act.
A total of five members of CPI (Maoist), armed with deadly weapons, had unlawfully assembled and criminally trespassed into the KFDC office on 28th September 2023. They had restrained the KFDC Manager and damaged the public property and equipment using iron rods. Raising Maoist slogans, the men had also pasted CPI (Maoist) posters in the office premises. Of the attackers, four were arrested subsequently by the law enforcement agencies and one had surrendered before the police.
NIA, which took over the case a few days later, found during investigation that C.P. Moideen, Manoj P.M., and P.K. Sonam, along with H. S. Ravindra and Santhosh Kumar A were members of the Military Wing People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) of CPI (Maoist).
They had formed a local guerrilla squad named Kabani Dalam in Wayanad forests, and were actively engaged in acts of terrorism, aimed at spreading fear among the public and destabilizing the Government. The attack at KFDC was part of their violent anti-national agenda, added officials.