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ATS arrests couple in Prayagraj for naxalite activities
Evidence proving their involvement in anti-national activities has been found during investigations, ATS officials said
In a major breakthrough, the Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorist squad arrested a couple for their alleged connection with banned naxalite outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist).
The couple, identified as 49-year-old Kripashankar Singh and his wife, Binda Sona, aka Manu, alias Suman, 41, was arrested from Prayagraj on Tuesday. Evidence proving their involvement in anti-national activities has been found during investigations, ATS officials said.
ATS officials said an FIR was lodged against seven persons at ATS police station, Lucknow, in July, 2019, for their involvement in naxalite activities across the country. Following investigations, Manish Srivastava, Amita Srivastava and two others Brajesh Kushwaha and Prabha were arrested and sent to jail.
The ATS team received forensic lab (FSL) reports of some laptops and electronic gadgets seized from those arrested earlier and found crucial evidence against Kripashankar Singh and his wife Binda Sona for their connections with Communist Party of India (Maoist). It came to fore that they were among the main members of the outfit and were involved in plans to wage war against the nation. The couple used to brainwash marginalised sections and encourage them to work for the banned outfit, officials said.
Kripashankar Singh hails from Kushinagar district and holds a polytechnic degree from Deoria. In 2004, Singh joined an NGO ‘Rupantar’ run by Vinayak Sen and his wife, Elina Sen of Raipur. While working in the NGO, Kripashankar met Binda Sona of Raipur and the duo got married and joined banned outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist).
They spent two years in Delhi and then got engaged in spreading Maoist ideology among students, farmers and labourers in rural areas of Deoria and Kushinagar. Kripashankar was arrested in a case registered by STF in Kanpur but got bail in 2016. However, after being released from jail, Binda Sona and he continued spreading naxalite ideology and its activities secretly in Uttar Pradesh and North Bihar while working in coordination with top members of Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Polit Bureau.
In 2017-18, Kripashankar and Binda Sona sheltered hardcore naxalite Qwanthan Shriniwasan who has two dozen cases against him and was carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh on him. The duo provided shelter to Shriniwasan at a school at Karmahia village of Maharajganj where he was living under a false name, Arvind. Kripashankar and Binda Sona used to hold night meetings with him, investigations revealed.
