Nagpur: Shoma Sen, after the arrest of her husband Tusharkranti Bhattacharya, has claimed his arrest to be a kidnapping. In a press conference Sen said that the arrest has been made merely because her husband was a staunch oppose of government and its policies. ACTIVIST Tushar Bhattacharya, 62, was arrested on Monday by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Surat for “seditious activities” (section 124 of the IPC). Citing Bhattacharya’s bad health, she has demanded for his bail.
The arrest was made from mobile Geetanjali Express in Gondia. Bhattacharya had absconded to West Bangal to avoid being arrested by the police. However, according to his wife, he had gone to Kolkata to visit his sister.
As is being alleged, the couple had been involved in Naxalite activities from their Nagpur-based residence. As informed by the intelligence agencies, Shoma Sen was a part of several left extremist organisations, despite working at a reputed position in Nagpur University. The couple had been kept under police surveillance for several years now.
Sen said, “He was also arrested earlier in Telangana under charges of propagating Maoist activities and was jailed for six years from 2007 to 2013 under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). But he was acquitted in all the cases and had since then been staying at Nagpur doing some writing work and social activism. During this period one more case was foisted on him and others in 2010 at Surat. The arrest was made in this case.”
ATS sources said, “He was wanted among 20 others in the case. He was absconding.” However, Bhattacharya is known to have been in Nagpur for the past three years, creating doubts about the allegations made by the ATS of him being on the run.
