NEW DELHI: The arrest of five activists for allegedly helping Maoists is part of the Centre’s long-pending plan to cripple an influential network that is suspected to be working as a force multiplier for underground Left-wing extremists engaged in a violent confrontation with security forces.

Sources in the home ministry pointed out on Wednesday that seven of the 10 activists arrested by Maharashtra police since June 6 — Varavara Rao, Sudha Bhardwaj, Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Mahesh Raut — belonged to organisations the UPA government had listed as auxiliaries of underground Maoists.

They said a report prepared in 2012 identified 128 organisation as having links with or acting as fronts for CPI (Maoist) and had recommended action against these organisations.

“The front organisations ensure fusion between overground and underground activities. They are responsible for recruitment of educated youth who go to the field to keep the movement alive and play the role of ideologues,” an MHA source said, citing an Intelligence Bureau report of 2012.

The agency had also said “the organisations gather funds, are part of misinformation campaigns and provide legal aid to Maoists”.

Gautam Navlakha (leader of People’s Union of Democratic Rights), Varavara Rao (president of Revolutionary Democratic Front), Sudha Bhardwaj (vice-president of Indian Association of People’s Lawyers), Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves (former member and secretary respectively of Maharashtra State Committee of CPI Maoist), were arrested on Tuesday.

Surendra Gadling (general secretary of Indian Association of People’s Lawyers), Rona Wilson (public relations secretary of Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners), Mahesh Raut (state convener of Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan), Shoma Sen (executive member of Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights) and Sudhir Dhawale (Republican Panthers) were arrested on June 6.

About Rao, officials said since 1974, he had been arrested several times by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana police, though no charges were proved.

Likewise, Ferreira and Gonsalves were also arrested earlier by Maharashtra police.

Although Gonsalves was convicted under the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and was sentenced to three years in jail, Ferreira was acquitted after spending four years in prison.

Citing the IB report of 2012, MHA sources said as per the agency’s determination, the 128 organisations were engaged in propagating Maoist agenda in 16 states.

