Two senior Naxal leaders convicted

A Nagpur Sessions court Tuesday convicted senior Naxalites Vernon Gonsalves and Sridhar Srinivasan

A Nagpur Sessions court Tuesday convicted senior Naxalites Vernon Gonsalves and Sridhar Srinivasan both Central Committee members of CPI (Maoist) under the Arms Act,Explosives Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

This is the first time in the state that Naxals have been convicted in a UAPA case.

Angela Sontakke,a CPI (Maoist) state committee member,who was arrested from Thane in 2011,was acquitted but her trial will continue in cases registered in Thane,said special public prosecutor Prashant Sathianathan.

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Gonsalves and Srinivasan were found guilty of possessing arms and sentenced to three years in jail. Under the UAPA,Sridhar was sentenced to six years and Gonsalves to five years in jail. Srinivasan was sentenced to six years imprisonment under the Explosives Act while Gonsalves was absolved of the charge.

Gonsalves and Srinivasan were arrested by the Mumbai ATS in 2007. Nine detonators,20 gelatin sticks,a walkie-talkie set,a computer,Naxal literature were also seized from the duo in a raid in a chawl in Govandi,Mumbai,according to the prosecution.

The two had been living there for about five months and were introduced to the landlord by a woman called Sharda,who identified herself as Sridhars wife. The landlord was one of the witnesses.

Sathianathan said,Sharda had told the landlord that Sridhar was employed in Gujarat.

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