3 activists detained for ‘Maoist links’ in Bathinda, get bail

POLICE CLAIM TO

HAVE SEIZED MAOIST LITERATURE FROM THE THREE; CITY-BASED ACTIVIST’S KIN SAY THEY WERE TAKEN TO MOHALI FOR QUESTIONING;

SSP DENIES THIS

BATHINDA :Police in Bathinda on Saturday detained three activists associated with left-wing organisations and claimed to have seized Maoist literature from them.

The activists, Lajpat Rai, a resident of Bathinda’s Panchwati Nagar locality, Suresh Bayen and Rahul Chakravarty from West Bengal, were taken into preventive custody at the local railway station and were released hours later.

Rai had gone there to receive the two along with his daughter, his family members said.

Chakravarty and Rai are reportedly linked with the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), a civil rights organisation.

The three activists were produced before the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) on Sunday evening and were released on regular bail.

Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nanak Singh said the three were detained under the security proceedings of 107 and 151 of criminal proceedings.

He said the police had suspicion about their activities.

Lajpat Rai’s daughter Sharan said police personnel came in four vehicles and took the three to Mohali for questioning by a special police team and were brought back to Bathinda in night.

The SSP denied that any other security or intelligence agency questioned the three. He also denied that any of the detainees were taken outside Bathinda.