NIA may take custody of surrendered Naxal leader

New Delhi: The NIA is likely to seek custody of a key Maoist leader, who along with his wife surrendered before Andhra Pradesh Police, as he may have some important information on Chhattisgarh’s Darbha valley Naxal attack being probed by it. The 45-year-old GVK Prasad alias Gudsa Usendi and his wife Santoshi Markam surrendered two days ago. Prasad was the ‘spokesperson’ of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and Markam alias Jaini was ‘divisional committee’ member of DKSZC press unit.[caption id=“attachment_1332021” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Maoists menace. AFP[/caption] He carried a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh and participated in various underground activities of Maoists for about 28 years. The agency will seek Prasad’s custody to get some inputs on the Darbha valley attack carried out by Maoists last year, NIA sources said. At least 27 people including Mahendra Karma, founder of anti-Naxal movement ‘Salwa Judum’ and Nand Kumar Patel, chief of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, were killed in the attack on 25 May in Darbha valley under Sukma district. Veteran Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla, who was also injured in the attack, later succumbed to his injuries in a Gurgaon hospital. NIA is probing the attack. A formal request seeking the couple’s custody is likely to be made soon to Andhra Pradesh Police, the sources said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs today appealed to other Maoist leaders to stop “mindless experiments with violence and destruction” and surrender. “The CPI (Maoist) Party is waging a futile armed struggle in India. They should stop their mindless experiments with violence and destruction in a democratic polity. It is heartening to note that elements of their top leadership have realised this. “The government appeals to other Maoist leaders also to surrender and join the mainstream. They will be treated well as per the Surrender and Rehabilitation Police of the government,” the Ministry said in a statement. PTI