The Crossbill News Desk
A Kerala-based journalist known for his reporting on human rights has been arrested by Nagpur police for allegedly criticising Operation Sindoor, India’s recent military offensive targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The journalist, 26-year-old Rejaz M. Sheeba Sydeek, was taken into custody from a hotel in Nagpur, where he had checked in with a woman companion, also detained but later released. A local magistrate court has remanded Rejaz to police custody until May 13, The Wire reported.
The FIR, filed at Lakadganj police station on May 7, accuses Rejaz of having links with the banned CPI (Maoist) and includes charges under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), including Section 149, which pertains to collecting arms with intent to wage war against the Indian government—an offence punishable by life imprisonment. Other sections invoked relate to incitement and public mischief.
According to the police, Rejaz was found in possession of three books, including one on jailed academic G.N. Saibaba and another on Leninist ideology, and a T-shirt in which he had allegedly posed with two guns in a social media post. The authenticity of the firearms has yet to be determined.
Rejaz, a graduate in social work from Kerala University, has contributed to platforms like Maktoob Media and Counter Currents, where his work has largely focused on custodial violence, hate crimes, and minority issues.
His arrest comes just days after a previous FIR was filed against him and others for participating in a pro-Kashmir protest in Kochi, condemning the demolition of homes following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Police allege that Rejaz posted content on Instagram criticising Operation Sindoor and shared an image of a child alongside the slogan "Indian Army Murdabad".
They also cited another post in which he criticised Operation Kagaar, an ongoing anti-Maoist campaign in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, where hundreds have reportedly died in recent months.
In their remand application, police questioned the motive behind Rejaz's visit to Nagpur, claiming he is listed as a top Maoist activist in Maharashtra.
The FIR also references a journal called Nazariya, which it says promotes Maoist ideology. Pamphlets of the journal advocating for peace talks in Bastar were allegedly found in Rejaz's possession.
The journalist, 26-year-old Rejaz M. Sheeba Sydeek, was taken into custody from a hotel in Nagpur, where he had checked in with a woman companion, also detained but later released. A local magistrate court has remanded Rejaz to police custody until May 13, The Wire reported.
The FIR, filed at Lakadganj police station on May 7, accuses Rejaz of having links with the banned CPI (Maoist) and includes charges under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), including Section 149, which pertains to collecting arms with intent to wage war against the Indian government—an offence punishable by life imprisonment. Other sections invoked relate to incitement and public mischief.
According to the police, Rejaz was found in possession of three books, including one on jailed academic G.N. Saibaba and another on Leninist ideology, and a T-shirt in which he had allegedly posed with two guns in a social media post. The authenticity of the firearms has yet to be determined.
Rejaz, a graduate in social work from Kerala University, has contributed to platforms like Maktoob Media and Counter Currents, where his work has largely focused on custodial violence, hate crimes, and minority issues.
His arrest comes just days after a previous FIR was filed against him and others for participating in a pro-Kashmir protest in Kochi, condemning the demolition of homes following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Police allege that Rejaz posted content on Instagram criticising Operation Sindoor and shared an image of a child alongside the slogan "Indian Army Murdabad".
They also cited another post in which he criticised Operation Kagaar, an ongoing anti-Maoist campaign in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, where hundreds have reportedly died in recent months.
In their remand application, police questioned the motive behind Rejaz's visit to Nagpur, claiming he is listed as a top Maoist activist in Maharashtra.
The FIR also references a journal called Nazariya, which it says promotes Maoist ideology. Pamphlets of the journal advocating for peace talks in Bastar were allegedly found in Rejaz's possession.
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