Raipur: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken prominent Adivasi activist Raghu Midiyami into custody, alleging his involvement with Maoist groups. His arrest in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district has been denounced by rights groups as a politically motivated attempt to silence dissent. Midiyami is known for his leadership in opposition to militarization and corporate exploitation in the region, advocating for the protection of Adivasi lands and rights.

According to a statement by Kashmir Media Service, the 23-year-old activist from the Gond Adivasi community was brought before an NIA special court and subsequently jailed in Jagdalpur. The NIA accuses Midiyami of being a key leader in a banned organization with ties to the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a charge contested by human rights advocates who label it as unfounded.

Midiyami previously led the now-banned Moolwasi Bachao Manch (MBM), an umbrella group formed by Adivasi peasants. The organization called for the enforcement of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act and the Fifth Schedule, constitutional measures designed to protect indigenous rights. The MBM also demanded a halt to unregulated mining, displacement, and the militarization of Bastar, as well as an end to mass killings by Indian forces.