Gujarat cops arrest top Naxal leader Ghandy in sedition case

Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy was on Monday arrested by the Surat police after he was brought here in connection with a nine-year-old sedition case lodged against him and 24 others for allegedly spreading Naxal activities in south Gujarat, said officials.

Ghandy, an alleged key member of the banned outfit CPI (Maoist), was brought here from a jail in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, on a transfer warrant, they said.

The 68-year-old Maoist ideologue was produced before the court of judicial magistrate H R Thakor, who handed him over to the Surat rural police, said Deputy Superintendent of Police C M Jadeja.

"We have arrested Ghandy after his production before the magistrate. In 2010, the Kamrej police in Surat district had lodged an FIR against 25 persons, including Ghandy, for spreading Naxal activities in south Gujarat.

"Prior to Ghandy, 23 accused had been arrested in the case. Now, only one accused, Seema Hirani, remains to be nabbed," said Jadeja.

Ghandy and others were booked under various sections of the IPC, including criminal conspiracy, waging war against government, sedition, and also provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, said Jadeja.

The police will seek Ghandy's remand from the court on Tuesday to investigate his alleged role in spreading Naxal activities in south Gujarat, he added.