The Vishakhapatnam Police on Thursday arrested an associate professor of a state-run university for allegedly supplying explosives to Maoists.
According to media reports, J. Apparao, who teaches in Telugu Department at the Andhra University, had long been a tribal activist. He allegedly had links with the Communist Party of India (Maoists) and other rebels.
Students and staff members of the university staged protests outside the office of Superintendent of Police, Visakhapatnam, K. Praveen, demanding his release.
Meanwhile, Andhra University Vice Chancellor professor G.S. N. Raju said that some people on the campus had warned him of Apparao's alleged involvement in suspicious activities.
"Everybody has a good impression, everybody is saying good about him. But then I was thinking why he should be whisked away like that? Some people were telling me that there is some apprehension that this man is involved in [illegal] activities. I don't know what the facts are," said Raju.
Apparo is the second university teacher to be arrested for alleged Maoist links this year after Delhi University professor GN Saibaba was arrested for the same in May.