State police debates on UAPA, NIA chief to attend workshop

The workshop on UAPA, the first of its kind in the state, was attended by 25 field level police personnel from different Maoist-hit districts.

"We are sensitising police officers on how to move without fault and modalities of implementing the UAPA so that the accused persons cannot easily get acquittal from the court of law," a senior police officer said.

The workshop will be addressed by the senior officers of crime investigation department, prosecutors, forensic scientists, bomb experts as well as an official from N I A (national investigating agency). NIA DGP is also scheduled to have a brief interaction with the participants tomorrow, said inspector general of police, crime branch, Abhaya.

As the law was implemented against red rebels late in 2008, the police officials need to be properly sensitised, he said.

While only two cases were registered under UAPA in 2008, the number increased to 18 in 2009 while 94 such cases had been made in 2010.

The state police, sources said had already invoked provision of the UAPA against prominent Maoist leaders like Srinivas Sriramulu, Ganti Prasad, Asutosh Sen, Padma (wife of Ramakrishna) and Subhasree Panda (wife of Sabyasachi Panda).