The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges against Lakshman Paswan, a key figure, for attempting to revive the banned Maoist group CPI (Maoist) in Bihar’s Magadh zone. Paswan faces charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Investigations reveal his involvement in extorting money from businesses to aid CPI (Maoist) in Maoist-affected districts like Gaya, Aurangabad, and Nawada in the Magadh region.
NIA’s inquiry indicates that Paswan also played a role in organizing meetings to recruit locals into the outlawed group. The agency’s thorough investigation shows that Paswan’s actions were geared towards strengthening the CPI (Maoist) network in the Magadh region. This marks the fifth individual to be charged in this case, with Paswan’s arrest dating back to August 2025 in Gaya district.
Earlier, NIA had charged top Maoist leaders Pramod Mishra and Anil Yadav in February 2024, followed by supplementary charges against Binod Mishra and Rakesh Kumar alias Bihari Paswan in September 2024 and February 2025, respectively. All four previously arrested individuals were linked to the case. The investigation, initially initiated by the state police in August 2023, was later taken over by NIA at the behest of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
NIA is actively pursuing the case, focusing on identifying and scrutinizing the roles of Paswan’s associates and other co-accused involved in the alleged conspiracy.
