UAPA cases against Prof Haragopal and 151 others dropped

Hyderabad: The Mulugu district police to withdraw the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case against Professor Haragopal, a civil rights leader and retired professor from Hyderabad Central University (HCU), and 151 others.

On Saturday, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed the Director General of Police (DGP) Anjani Kumar to drop the UAPA case. Following this, Mulugu Superintendent Guash Alam will file a memo in the court requesting the removal of the names of Professor Haragopal, a civil rights leader and retired professor from Hyderabad Central University (HCU), Prof Padmaja Shaw, V Raghunath, Gaddam Laxman, Gunti Ravinder, and Suresh Kumar from the accused list.

On August 19, 2022, a case of treason was registered at Tadwai Police Station in Mulugu district, involving Professor Haragopal and 152 activists and intellectuals. The charges filed against them include violations under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Background of the treason case

According to the report released by Mulugu Superintendent of Police Guash Alam, “The incident took place in August when reliable information was received regarding an illegal assembly of CPI Maoist party members in Telangana State. The group, led by Bade Chokka Rao, also known as Damodar, was allegedly planning to carry out various unlawful activities, including targeting government officials and innocent civilians, destroying government property, recruiting tribal youth, and raising funds through acts of terrorism.”

Combing Operation

In response to the information, Mulugu police launched a combing operation. During the operation, the police encountered armed individuals dressed in olive green uniforms who were believed to be members of the banned CPI-Maoist party. "We identified ourselves and called on the individuals to surrender, but they managed to escape into the dense forest, abandoning their tent," said Guash Alam.

Evidence and seized items

Upon searching the area, the police discovered several items inside the tent, including three kit bags, one solar plate, five water cans, seven 2-liter water bottles, two steel bags, a rope (approximately 10 meters long), a knife, a stone, two black sheets, two rice bowls, two bells, two sacks, a pair of sandals, a lighter, two plastic glasses, and three umbrellas. Additionally, some literature and documentary evidence related to the CPI (Maoist) were also found. The police seized all these items in the presence of witnesses.

Case registered

Based on the scene of the crime and a complaint filed by CI Pasra, a case was registered at Tadvai Police Station under sections 120b, 147, 148, r/w 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sections 10, 13, 18, 20, 38 of the UAPA Act, as well as section 25(1-B)(a) of the Arms Act. The case named a total of 152 accused, including main Maoist leaders, their sympathizers, and individuals whose names were mentioned in the seized Maoist literature.

Investigation

Following the registration of the FIR, the investigation was initiated, and combing operations were carried out in an attempt to arrest the escaped Maoists in the forest area of Tadvai Mandal.

The police recorded statements from witnesses familiar with the case and collected further evidence during the investigation.

Insufficient evidence

After conducting the investigation, it was found that there is insufficient evidence linking Haragopal, Padmaja Shah, V. Raghunath, Gaddam Laxman, Gunti Ravinder, and Suresh Kumar to this particular case.

As a result, a memo will be filed in court requesting the removal of their names from the case.