Poster demanding Mishra's release. Photo courtesy Facebook Poster demanding Mishra's release. Photo courtesy Facebook

Police in Maharashtra have arrested a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student and two other persons for working as couriers for Maoists in Gadchiroli district.Hem Mishra, 30, Pandu Pora Narote, 27 and Mahesh Tirki, 24, were taken into custody on Friday from a bus stand in Aheri with "a microchip and secret Naxal documents", said a newspaper report on Sunday.Mishra, the JNU student and a native of Almora, has been sent to 10-day police custody for interrogation.Police later claimed the accused have confessed that they were going to give secret documents to senior Maoist leader Narmada Akka.But Mishra's father and his friends denied that he was helping Maoists."He has been studying in JNU for over four years now. He has some serious problems in his left hand but he is active in social and political circles of Uttarakhand and JNU. He is being implicated falsely" Hem's father K.D. Mishra told The Hindu newspaper.Mishra's arrest has drawn strong criticism for JNU student bodies including the Democratic Student Union. They demanded that he be immediately released.The JNUSU plans to do a protest demonstration in front of Maharashtra Bhawan on August 26 against "arbitrary arrest and framing of student and cultural activist", said a message on the Facebook page of Hem Mishra.A DSU member said Mishra was planning to visit Prakash Amte's hospital in Gadchiroli for treatment of his hand.But a police officer refuted the claim, saying why should he come down from Delhi for treatment in Gadchiroli.He said Mishra wanted to meet senior rebel leaders in the forest.