Gujarat police wants Kobad Ghandy in case of sedition, waging war

The Gujarat Police has approached a Delhi court seeking custody of Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy to interrogate him for his alleged role in guiding Maoist activities in the state before he was caught by city police.

The Gujarat police has moved the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav seeking Ghandy's custody alleging that he was involved in naxal movement in urban areas and a case was registered against him and twenty other co-accused in February 2010.

The Gujarat Police have registered a case against 64-year-old Ghandy and others under Indian Penal Code for waging war against the country, sedition, promoting enmity, criminal conspiracy and various provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAP) Act.

He is lodged in Tihar Jail since his arrest by Delhi Police in September 2009 for trying to set up base of banned CPI (Maoist) in the national capital.

An earlier plea by Gujarat police for Ghandy's custody in June 2010 was dismissed by the court as the Delhi government had put a ban on his movement till the case against him is finished.

The Surat police has now sought his custody in the light of March 28 order of a Delhi court absolving Ghandy of the stringent terror charges for want of proper sanction.

Ghandy now stands charged for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and impersonation under IPC, triable by a court of Magistrate.

The Gujarat Police has in its application said that on February 25, 2010, a complaint was registered at Kamrej Police station against unnamed CPI(Maoist) organisers and members for preparing an armed force and guerrilla zone in Surat, north Maharashtra and South Gujarat and other areas.

It said the accused were also creating "internal war between religious minorities in these areas in order to obtain militant cadres for guerrilla zone."

Police have already arrested twenty persons from various regions in Surat, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

In its application, the Gujarat Police said, "During the course of investigation of this crime, it is revealed that accused Kobad Ghandy alias Salim started CPI (M-L) PWG (People's War Group) in Maharasthra.

"He was also in charge of south-west regional bureau and has been providing his guidance and help and co-ordinating the activities of Maharasthra State Committee and Surat area committee, a body of CPI (Maoist)."

It also said Ghandy "sent his wife Late Anuradha Dhandy for spreading CPI (M-L) PWG work in Surat city and knows about the activities undertaken by her."

It also accused Ghandy of authoring "The Urban Plan" of CPI (Maoist) which emphasised "initiating a strong Maoist movement in urban areas for supplementing ongong Maoist fight in rural areas."

The agency said Ghandy studied problems, controversial issues of major cities and collected vital data regarding their demography, geography, economy and social structure besides being responsible for monitoring the progress of urban plan in Pune-Ahmedabad "Golden Corridor", of which Surat city is a part.

An alumni of the prestigious Doon School, Ghandy was said to be part of the top leadership of erstwhile CPI-ML (PWG) from 1981 and continued as a Central Committee member in CPI (Maoist). He was elected to its Politburo in 2007.