New Delhi, Sep 1: The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has strongly condemned the recent raid conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at the rented room of a student activist in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The operation, carried out in the early hours of Friday, was in connection with the student’s alleged links to Naxal activities, reported The Wire.
The NIA’s raid was part of a larger crackdown across multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab. According to a seizure memo The Wire says it has seen, the operation was linked to a 2023 FIR that includes charges of criminal conspiracy, waging war against the nation, and violations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The NIA stated that the raids were aimed at disrupting efforts by the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) to revive its influence in the Northern Regional Bureau area. The agency searched a total of nine locations tied to various accused and suspects in connection with the 2023 case. During the searches, the NIA seized multiple digital devices, including laptops, mobile phones, and memory cards, as well as other materials believed to be linked to the alleged activities.
The student activist, identified as Azad, is a prominent member of the left-leaning student organisation Inquilabi Chhatra Morcha (ICM) and an executive committee member of the Allahabad Nagarik Samaj. Azad’s room, which he shares with three others, was raided from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The PUCL claims that the raid was motivated by Azad’s activism and his involvement in raising democratic demands.
During the raid, NIA officials confiscated several items, including pamphlets based on a lecture by economist Arun Kumar on the Hindenburg Research report concerning industrialist Gautam Adani, the May-June issue of the magazine Dastak, and a copy of Mashaal, a newspaper published by the ICM. The PUCL has expressed concern that these seizures indicate an attempt by the government to silence dissenting voices.
The NIA has summoned Azad to Lucknow for questioning on September 15. The PUCL described the summons as an extension of the “mental torture” being inflicted on the student.
The NIA’s actions have drawn criticism from various quarters, with farmer groups in Punjab also protesting after the agency raided the house of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Krantikari) general secretary Sukhwinder Kaur in Bathinda district on the same day.
The PUCL and other rights groups continue to denounce these raids as efforts to suppress civil liberties and democratic activism.
