Couple held for Naxal links: ATS

According to the police, Kripa Shankar Singh had been arrested in 2010 in Kanpur for his purported involvement with Naxals and was released from jail in 2016. Following his release, both Kripa Shankar and Binda Sona allegedly resumed their involvement in Naxal activities, circulating naxal ideology in Uttar Pradesh, officers said.

The police said that in 2017-18, the couple allegedly provided logistical support to a wanted Naxal named Srinivasan, who, at the time, was residing in Maharajganj under the alias Arvind and working as a schoolteacher. Srinivasan, who had around two dozen cases, was then carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head.

Police said the couple used to frequently meet him during this period.

In 2019, the ATS registered an FIR against seven persons over their alleged involvement in Naxal activities. During the same year, Manish Srivastava and his wife Anita Srivastava were arrested in connection with the case, and their electronic devices were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination. In 2023, Brijesh Kushwaha and Prabha were apprehended in connection with the same case.

The involvement of Kripa Shankar and Binda Sona in the 2019 case has been under investigation. The police claimed that in a forensic report received this month, it was established that both Kripa Shankar and Binda Sona were “actively participating in Naxal activities.”