NGO founder arrested for ‘Naxal’ links

According to the police,Pasha was part of a trade union in Surat,Gujarat,that was busted after it was reported to have Naxal links. He was arrested by the Gujarat Police in 2007 but fled while he was being taken to court. He had been absconding since.

Pasha’s arrest came after a ‘look-out notice’ was issued against him in February this year,the police said.

“Pasha is from Mumbai. He did his Masters in Commerce from Mumbai University in 1993-94. He was active in students’ politics and came in contact with the PWG — an underground militant Naxalite group. He was involved with it till 2004. He was sent to Surat to look for possible recruits and was also sent to Chhattisgarh for training,” a senior police officer said.

The police said Pasha was elevated to the position of Commander in 2004 and sent to Delhi,where he joined the banned CPI (Maoist) and started looking for recruits.

“He came to Delhi in 2008 after spending some months underground. He married a woman working with the Postal department in Delhi and moved into the government allotted quarters with his wife. He started an NGO in the area and was developing a Naxal network in the Capital,” a senior police officer said.

Pasha’s NGO catered to displaced children and beggars.

According to the police,Pasha was also a close aide of alleged Naxalite Kobad Gandhy and his first wife,Shabana Khan,was a member of PWG.

The Delhi Police’s Special Cell has been cracking down on persons with alleged Naxal links:
* On April 27,an alleged top Naxalite leader Gopal Mishra,48,and his wife Anu,38,were arrested from Northeast Delhi’s Shahdara. Mishra was allegedly a commander-rank officer of the CPI (Maoist) and headed a trade union.
* On April 22,the South Delhi police,arrested a suspected Naxal operative allegedly involved in several operations in Bihar. Ajay Singh was reportedly involved in torching a jeep in Trayani,Sheohar district during the Bihar Bandh on March 23.
* On April 4,the police had picked up a Delhi University assistant lecturer in Hindi department,Sunil Mandiwal,for his suspected links to the Maoists. He,however,was released after police could not find any evidence against him.
* Kobad Ghandy was arrested on September 20 last year. He is believed to be the top-boss entrusted with meeting trade unions and building a Naxal network in the Capital.