Crime Branch ADGP S Ananthakrishnan, who leads the investigation team probing the murder of RSS leader Manoj, revealed on Thursday here that the provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) were slapped on the suspects in the case.

Speaking to media persons at Thalassery where the camp office of the investigation team is functioning, ADGP Ananthakrishnan said that the relevant section of UAPA had been charged in the beginning itself.

When asked by the media persons whether this was the first political murder case in the state to be charged with UAPA, the ADGP said that the investigation team is on the process of collecting evidences and he could not ascertain whether it was a political murder at this juncture.

Sources said that the Section 13 A of the UAPA that stipulates imprisonment for a term, which may extend to seven years, was charged against six persons including Vikraman and Nambidi Jithan who were identified by the police as involved in the crime.

This was the first time that the UAPA is being invoked in a political murder in the state.

Police sources said that the decision to slap the UAPA came from the top. The decision, however, adds weight to the demand for an investigation by a central agency.

The Crime Branch investigation team has held a meeting here on Thursday to decide on the future course of action in the case.

The DySPs in the team and Circle Inspectors participated in the meeting chaired by ADGP Ananthakrishnan at the camp office in Thalassery.

Four DySPs in the team would lead four wings of investigation to look into various aspects of the case. It would soon record the statement of Pramod, another RSS worker who was injured in the attack on Monday along with Manoj.

Pramod is now under treatment at Kozhikode Medical College.