CPI (M) alleges CBI misusing UAPA to target its political leaders

Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday cornered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly misusing the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to target its political leaders.

The party issued a statement alleging that the agency misused the UAPA to file charges against member of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) and Secretary of the Kannur District Committee.

The statement comes a day after the CBI named CPI (M) Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan as an accused in a charge sheet filed by it in the murder of RSS activist Kathiroor Manoj in Kannur in 2014.

"The Polit Bureau strongly opposes the use of UAPA to file charges against P. Jayarajan, member of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) and Secretary of the Kannur District Committee," the party said in the statement.

The Polit Bureau of the party further said the UAPA is meant to deal with terrorist crimes and the CBI has invoked provisions under the UAPA to charge Jayarajan with conspiracy to commit a terrorist offence.

"This is a gross misuse of the provisions of the UAPA and a deliberate effort to target a political leader," the CPI (M) said in a statement.

Jayarajan was charged under section 18 (punishment for conspiracy) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The CBI on Thursday filed the charge sheet in Kathiroor Manoj murder case, naming Jayarajan as the mastermind in the case.

Besides Jayarajan, five other were also named in the charge sheet for allegedly involving in the conspiracy and abetment of the crime.

The CBI had earlier filed a first charge sheet listing 19 people as accused and 200 as witnesses.

Jayarajan was arrested in 2016 and after being in jail for over three weeks, he was granted bail.