Mangaluru: Vittala Malekudiya, a postgraduate, who was arrested on March 3, 2012 from their house in Belthangady taluk on the charge of having links with naxals has filed his nomination for upcoming zilla panchayat election.

Malekudiya filed his nomination papers for Dharmasthala Zilla Panchayat constituency from the Communist Party of India (Marxists) at Belthangady on Wednesday.

Earlier he had contested the election to Naravi Gram Panchayat in Belthangady taluk from Kutlur ward II but lost.

A student of Mangaluru University, Vittal Malekudiya was arrested along with his father on the charge of having links with naxals. He and his father were logged in the Mangaluru prison and got released on July 5, 2012. Vittala Malekudiya completed his postgraduation in 2013-14, after the release. The police had filed the charge-sheet on January 30, 2015.

At present, he is the president of Belthangady taluk unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).