Raipur, Sept 11: The Chhatisgarh police on Friday arrested a contractor B K Lala and journalist-activist Lingaram Kodopi on charge of going to hand over Rs 15 lakh cash to Maoists at a weekly market in Dantewada.
However, human rights bodies have termed the arrest of one of the two arrested as illegal and said he was framed in the case.
Police say Lala withdrew Rs.15 lakh from his State Bank of India account from Kirandul in Dantewada and was set to hand over the money on behalf of Essar group at the Palanar weekly market to Maoists.
"Lala admitted to be carrying money on behalf of Essar while Kodopi was tipped to receive the money on behalf of Maoists," Dantewada Superintendent of Police Ankit Garg said.
Police say the two were booked under under various IPC sections alongwith clauses of a stringent Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, which rights activists have termed a "draconian law", framed to tackle Maoist sympathizers.
Human rights organisations claim that Chhattisgarh Police has been deliberately trying to frame Kodopi, a young tribal activist, for a long time. The People's Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi (PUDR) has strongly condemned the arrest of Kodopi and said he was picked up from his village Sameli in Dantewada.
"Kodopi was earlier also picked up by the police from his village in September 2009 and kept in illegal detention for 40 days. They tortured and forced him to become an SPO. A habeas corpus petition was filed by his brother in the high court after which he was released," a PUDR statement said.
However recent WikiLeaks revelations show that Essar Group was paying "protection money" to Maoists in Chhattisgarh. The company has refused to comment.
