Telangana police raid OU Professor Kasim's house for alleged link with Maoists

Hyderabad: Police teams from Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana along with the state intelligence unit surrounded the residence of Osmania University professor Dr Chintakindi Kasim on Saturday over his alleged association with the outlawed Maoist party and Maoist sympathisers.

The move comes in the wake of his recent election as the secretary of the Revolutionary Writers’ Association (VIRASAM). Kasim is a close associate of VIRASAM’s founding member Varavara Rao, who was arrested by the Maharashtra police in 2018.

In a predawn development, police teams first surrounded Kasim’s official residence on the university campus. They then broke open the main door to enter the house.

At least 20 men in khaki and in plainclothes started searching the house and are questioning Kasim, said sources. As the news reached the students, they headed for the professor's residence. But authorities had deployed additional forces to prevent any movement towards the spot.

The Telangana police have launched a crackdown on alleged Maoist sympathisers and have arrested at least 20 people, including advocates, students, members of peoples’ organisations, in this connection.

The police have claimed to have seized incriminating material and electronic evidence from the arrested people. The cops have also accused the arrested persons of furthering the Maoist ideology in the state and spreading their activities. According to the police, these people were also involved in collecting funds for the banned outfit and also recruiting cadres for the party.