Special NIA court awards 8-year jail term to five in PLA-CPI (Maoist) nexus case

The Special National Investigation Agency court in Assam has sentenced five people to eight years in jail in the 2011 PLA-CPI nexus case related to a criminal conspiracy to threaten the country's unity, integrity, security and sovereignty, an official said on April 27. Three of the convicts — N. Dilip Singh of Manipur and Senjam Dhiren Singh and Arnold Singh of Assam — belonged to the proscribed terrorist organisation People's Liberation Army, while the other two — Indranil Chanda and Amit Bagchi of West Bengal — are members of the CPI, an NIA spokesperson said. The court, after extensive hearings, on April 26 convicted the five accused in the case under various Sections of Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Act, and announced the sentences, the spokesperson said. Communist Party of India leaders had agreed to recognise and support the separatist activities of the PLA for the creation of the northeastern State of Manipur as a separate nation, the spokesperson said and added the PLA leadership, on its part, decided to support the continuing war of the CPI for overthrowing the constitutionally elected government of India.