NEW DELHI, Mar 29: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday charge-sheeted a man for his role in radicalising “vulnerable youths” using Maoist ideology, an official statement said.
The probe agency had in May 2021 filed its original charge-sheet in the Munchingput conspiracy case of Andhra Pradesh.
Ramakkagiri Chandra is the eighth accused to be charge-sheeted in the case related to the radicalisation of “vulnerable youths towards the Maoist ideology and extension of support to the banned CPI(Maoist)”, it added.
He has been charged under the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the agency in its first supplementary charge-sheet filed before the special NIA court in Visakhapatnam, it said.
Chandra was a state committee member of the Pragathisheela Karmika Samakhya (PKS), a frontal outfit of the proscribed CPI(Maoist), the NIA said in the statement.
The NIA’s investigation has revealed that Chandra had conspired with underground leaders of the CPI(Maoist) to further the activities of the organisation.
As part of the bigger conspiracy of the frontal organisations and the cadre of the CPI (Maoist), he had also constructed a bust of the slain Maoist leader S A Rauf in Kutigalla village in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Sathya Sai district, the statement said.
Chandra was also found in possession of a pistol and ammunition provided by the banned organisation, the NIA said.
The seven accused had been charge-sheeted in the case in 2021, making Chandra the eighth.
Further investigation is underway in the case as part of the NIA’s crackdown on the banned organisation, the agency said. (PTI)