Chargesheet against one for involvement in levy collection to further Naxal activities

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against a key accused in Bihar for his alleged involvement in collecting levy from business establishments for providing logistical support to a banned Naxal outfit. Lakshman Paswan has been named in the chargesheet filed before a NIA special court in Patna, officials said. He faces charges of active involvement in the collection of levy from business establishments for providing logistical support to the CPI (Maoist), a statement issued by the probe agency said. Paswan was also allegedly engaged in organising meetings for inciting and coercing people into joining the terror outfit, according to the NIA’s investigation.

The accused’s activities were aimed at strengthening and re-energising the banned organisation in the Magadh region, the NIA has established through a meticulous probe. The fifth accused to be chargesheeted in the case, Paswan, was arrested by the NIA from Lutua in Bihar’s Gaya district in August 2025.

The NIA had initially chargesheeted top Naxal leaders Pramod Mishra (politburo member) and Anil Yadav (sub-zonal commander) in February 2024, followed by two supplementary chargesheets against Binod Mishra and Rakesh Kumar alias Bihari Paswan in September 2024 and February 2025, respectively. All four were previously arrested by the NIA. The Bihar Police had initially filed a case against Pramod Mishra and Yadav in August 2023, following a search operation at Binod Mishra’s house, where they were holding a meeting to further their CPI (Maoist) revival agenda.

The NIA, which had subsequently taken over the case from the state police on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, is currently investigating the role of Paswan’s associates and the other co-accused in the case.