New Delhi:
Interested in communism? Read Marxist literature? Careful, you might be arrested.
Dr Sunil Mandiwal, an assistant professor with Dayal Singh College, seems to have this explanation for his recent trouble. Mandiwal, who was twice detained and interrogated by a team of Delhi police, Central Intelligence officials and Andhra Pradesh police since Sunday, said he would sue the officials if they harass him regarding his suspected links with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoists).
The professor, who personally believes in communist ideology, claims he has no links with the Maoists. Yet, he was picked up by a team of Andhra police and special staff of south district police for having alleged links with Maoist leader, Krishna Rao, on Sunday evening.
"I have a friend named Krishna Rao who lives in Hyderabad. He had called me to pay rent on his behalf to his landlord in Vasant Gaon village and had asked me to collect his books from there. The police claim that I have some Maoist links, as my friend's name is the same as that of Maoist leader, Krishna Rao. They even brought the Maoist for a face-to-face interrogation, and I told the police that he isn't the person whose rent I paid and whose reading material I collected from Vasant Gaon. Even the Maoist leader told the police that he didn't know me," said Dr Mandiwal.
The police questioned Mandiwal on the basis of a statement allegedly provided by Naxal leader Krishna Rao alias Murthy, arrested by the Andhra police a few days ago. Rao was living on rent in Delhi at Vasant Gaon village in south Delhi till September 2009. After the arrest of another top leader Kobad Ghandy on September 20, 2009, Rao had left the city. Andhra Pradesh police arrested him on March 22.
"During my student life, I was associated with the communist ideology and took active part in various protests, including the protest against the US for its attack on Afghanistan. But it's my personal ideology, and I don't have any links with Maoists," Dr Mandiwal said.
"The police officials have seized books and the two cartons that I had brought from my friend's house and also some books from my own house, which were on Marxist literature. Police officials asked me to be a witness in a case against Maoist leader Krishna Rao and have also asked me to sign around 180 books that they have seized," said the DU professor.
He added, "Some CDs have also been recovered from the cartons and I am unaware about their content. I was questioned by three intelligence officials along with the Andhra police team and Delhi police officials."
Meanwhile, Maoist leader Krishna Rao's landlord, Girish, has identified him as his tenant.