NIA files cases against 68 PFI cadres in Kerala, Tamil Nadu
- In Reports
- 08:01 PM, Mar 18, 2023
- Myind Staff
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed two separate chargesheets against a total of 68 Popular Front of India leaders, cadres and members in two separate cases in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
With these, the total number of chargesheets filed by the NIA against the PFI cadre this month has gone up to four. The first chargesheet was filed in Jaipur on March 13 and the second in Hyderabad on March 16.
The charges against them include "conspiring to carry out acts of terror and violence with the ultimate objective of establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047."
According to NIA sources, the chargesheets filed Friday in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the two states where PFI is active, relate to separate "criminal conspiracies" relating to creating a wedge between people of different communities through radicalisation of impressionable Muslim youth, providing them with training in handling of weapons, and raising funds for carrying out acts of terror and violence with the ultimate objective of establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047.
To achieve these objectives, PFI established various wings and units, such as 'Reporters Wing', 'Physical and Arms Training Wing' and 'Service Teams', said the NIA statement.
Investigations by the NIA revealed that PFI was using its various campuses, facilities, and infrastructure to impart arms training to selected cadres in the guise of physical education, yoga training etc.
They also established a 'Reporters Wing' and 'Service Teams or Hit Teams' to eliminate their 'targets'. Whenever required, PFI pressed into service it's loyal and highly trained cadres of their 'Service Teams', as 'executioners' of the Orders pronounced by their parallel Courts, called 'Dar-ul-Qaza'.
“In addition to the above-mentioned criminal conspiracy, the NIA has, in its Kerala chargesheet, also included the connected case of the brutal killing of a Palakkad resident, Sreenivasan, who was hacked to death by armed PFI cadres (FIR No. 318/2022 of Palakkad Town South Police Station). NIA investigations had shown some of the accused in the PFI criminal conspiracy case (September 2022) to have been involved in the Sreenivasan killing too,” the spokesperson of NIA said.
The accused in the two chargesheets have been charged under various sections of IPC, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and the Arms Act, 1959.
In the Kerala case, the chargesheet has been filed in the Special Court for NIA Cases, Ernakulam, against the PFI as an organisation and 58 other accused persons. NIA had arrested 16 of the accused after taking over the case in 2022, while the others were arrested earlier by Kerala Police.
The NIA has also attached 17 properties as they were identified as 'proceeds of terrorism' and frozen 18 bank accounts of the accused during the course of its investigations.
In a separate case registered and investigated by NIA Branch Office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, NIA has also filed a chargesheet against 10 accused on Thursday.
Some of the prominent PFI leaders and office bearers charge-sheeted in this case on Friday include Abdul Sathar state general secretary, Yahiya Koya Thangal state executive member, Shihas MH Ernakulamzonal secretary, along with district secretaries/president sainudhen TS, Sadik AP, CT Sulaiman and PK Usman state general secretary Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) Kerala.
In the Tamil Nadu case, the chargesheet filed before the NIA Special Court Chennai has named 10 accused, including Khalid Mohammed, the state vice president of PFI.
This case was also registered in September 2022, when nine of the accused were arrested by NIA. The 10th accused was taken into custody a few months later.
Image source: ANI
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