Officials said his social media activity and personal belongings, including books and English letters, indicated possible links with banned outfits.
Published May 09, 2025 | 1:06 PM ⚊ Updated May 09, 2025 | 1:06 PM
Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek.
Synopsis: Independent journalist Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek was arrested in Nagpur for allegedly spreading anti-government and anti-Army sentiments. It is alleged that Sydeek’s arrest was politically motivated and linked to his social media post criticising “Israel-like” solutions in Kashmir. His social media handle has been withheld in India.
Kerala-based Left-wing activist and independent journalist Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek (26) was arrested in Nagpur in Maharashtra on Thursday, 8 May, for allegedly spreading anti-government and anti-Army sentiments through social media posts amid the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.
Rejaz, a resident of Edapally in the Ernakulam district, was picked up by the Lakadganj police while he was on his way back to Kerala from Delhi on Thursday.
He had travelled to the national capital to attend a press conference organised by the ‘Campaign Against State Repression’ on World Press Freedom Day, which called for the release of incarcerated journalists in India.
The police also took Isha Kumari, a local resident and a friend of Rejaz, into custody. However, she was later released. According to the FIR, he had made posts critical of Operation Sindoor and Operation Kagaar, against Maoists.
This marks the second FIR against Rejaz in 10 days; the first one was for attending a pro-Kashmir protest in Kochi on 29 April.
Police said they were acting on intelligence inputs and seized three books from his room — He who Defied Death: Life and Times of Prof. GN Saibaba, The Great legacy of Marxism-Leninism, and Only People Make Their Own History — along with a T-shirt he allegedly wore in a social media post while posing with two guns. The authenticity of the guns is unclear.
According to the FIR, Rejaz has been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 149 (unlawful assembly), 192 (fabricating false evidence), 351(1)(b), 352(3), and 353(3).
According to the police, Rejaz, who has been residing in Nagpur for the past three days, made an Instagram post where he wrote “Indian Army Murdabad” in response to Operation Sindoor, which he condemned along with Operation Kagaar in Chhattisgarh. His social media handle has been withheld in India.
Officials said his social media activity and personal belongings, including books and English letters, indicated possible links with banned outfits.
In its submission before the court, the City Branch said Rejaz was suspected to be in contact with other individuals engaged in anti-national activities and possibly linked to the banned CPI (Maoist).
The police claimed that Rejaz had participated as a keynote speaker in a programme organised in Delhi by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), which they alleged is a Maoist front organisation.
The police also sought to probe how Rejaz procured a weapon seen in a photograph found on his phone, his movements in Nagpur, and his network of contacts. Authorities further alleged that Rejaz figures at the top of the Maharashtra State Intelligence Bureau’s list of Maoist sympathisers and has previous criminal cases registered against him.
The police thus requested police custody remand for Rejaz to carry out these investigations.
Following the arrests, the Democratic Students Association (DSA), with which Sydeek is affiliated, issued a statement on social media demanding the immediate release of the detained people. “Release Com. Rejaz and Isha Immediately! Stop Witch Hunt of Activists,” read the post.
It alleged that Sydeek’s arrest was politically motivated and linked it to his social media post criticising calls for an “Israel Model Solution” in Kashmir in the wake of the recent Pahalgam attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor.
The DSA said Sydeek had also participated in a solidarity gathering titled “Being Kashmiri Is Not a Crime”, organised by Friends of Palestine. It claimed that eight activists, including Sydeek, were arrested in connection with the event.
“Speaking about and raising the issues of Kashmir is not and should not be a crime,” the DSA stated, calling the arrests a targeted attempt to silence dissenting voices.
When South First contacted his brother Rameez Sydeek, he said that the Nagpur police had not yet officially informed the family about the arrest.
Currently, the family does not intend to pursue legal action for his release. The DSA has initiated legal proceedings, and a lawyer is currently working to secure bail. Additionally, the family has reached out to a few other lawyers as backup options.
The DSA said it remains actively involved in the case, as he has been a very active member of the association and expressed hope that he will be granted bail soon.
Talking to South First, Muhammed Haneen, state convener of DSA, said, “Rejaz is our state committee member. He completed his MSW from the Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, and is currently an activist and a journalist. He is being labelled as a Maoist and an anti-national for speaking out for the rights of his fellow citizens in Kashmir. We will put up a legal fight. Yesterday (Thursday), the police demanded 14 days of custody. But the magistrate sent him to five days of police custody.”
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman and Dileep V Kumar.)
