Farmers' body demands release of five activists

New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of five right activists arrested by Pune police a day earlier on charge of being Maoist supporters.

In a statement here, MKSS founding members Shankar Singh, Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey said: "we strongly condemn the attempt to mislead people through deliberate use of term 'urban Naxals' both by BJP politicians and those in the media."

The activists claimed that the arrests are a "blatant attempt" to prevent the intelligentsia from raising voice against injustice, oppression and exploitation. 

"It is a prelude to making sure that the space for dissent and democratic expression is closed, and even the threats to the Constitution go unchallenged" they added.