New Delhi, (Aryavarth): Popular Front of India (PFI), its office bearers, members and affiliates in Kerala encouraged vulnerable youths to join terrorist orgAgencysations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh and Al-Qaida and also conspired to establish Islamic rule in India by committing a terrorist act, reveals NIA remand copy submitted before a special court in Kerala.
The Central agency also accused the PFI’s members and cadres operating from Kerala to conspire to indulge in “unlawful activities by creating enmity between members of different religions and groups, prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, with the intention to disrupt public tranquillity and cause disaffection against India”. The revelations came in an application for judicial remand of the accused Karamana Ashraf Moulavi, national in charge of PFI’s Education Wing, and others. The case is being investigated by the NIA’s Kochi branch.
“The brief facts of the case is that the Popular Front of India (PFI), its office bearers, members and affiliates in Kerala have conspired to indulge in Unlawful Activities, by creating enmity between members of different religions and groups, prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, to disrupt public tranquillity and cause disaffection against India, propagating alternative justice delivery system justifying the use of criminal force causing alarm and fear amongst the general public, encourages vulnerable youths to join terrorist orgAgencysation including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daesh and Al-Qaida and also conspired to establish Islamic rule in India by committing a terrorist act as a part of violent jihad,” reads the remand copy.
As per NIA, the PFI also spreads “disaffection against India by wrongful interpretation of government policies to the particular section of people to create hatred against the state and its machinery”.
Considering the nature and gravity of the offence, the NIA later mentioned, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) division issued an order dated September 16 directing the agency to investigate the matter.
During the investigation, the NIA further mentions in the copy, “reliable information has been received that, some important documents, digital devices and articles which are evidence for investigation and prosecution of the case and which will lead to unravelling the larger conspiracy behind the crime and also to identify and secure other suspects involved in the crime, are available in the various places including the houses/offices and other places related to all the accused named in the FIR, the orgAgencysation PFI and suspects in this case”.
Accordingly, after obtaining a search warrant under section 93 CrPC from the special court in Kerala, the NIA said searches were conducted at the residential premises of all the FIR named accused and the offices of Popular Front of India on September 22, and various articles and documents were seized.
“The seized documents also contain highly incriminating materials related to the targeting of prominent leaders of a particular community,” mentions the document accessed by a news agency.
“The hit list seized shows that the PFI, which is working through its leaders, members and associates, have gone far ahead in creating atrocities among the community,” added the agency.
Citing these inputs, the NIA further informed the court that more investigation is required in this aspect not only to obtain more evidence but also to prevent blood baths in society.
During the investigation, based on the materials collected, the NIA further said it had been disclosed that the “accused named in the FIR were actively involved in the orgAgencysed crimes and Unlawful Activities repeatedly to terrorise other religious sections of the society besides creating fear in the mind of the general public based on the larger conspiracy hatched among themselves and others”.
“The initial scrutiny of the materials collected and investigation conducted also points out the incriminating roles played by the accused in this case. A detailed probe must be conducted against each accused on their role, and overt activities and more evidence have to be collected.”
The revelations came as the NIA, ED and state police forces arrested 106 PFI leaders, cadres and others on Thursday during searches carried out across India. The NIA conducted searches in 93 locations in 15 states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar and MAgencypur.
These searches were conducted at the houses and offices of the top PFI leaders, and members in connection with five cases registered by the NIA following continued inputs and evidence that the PFI leaders and cadres were involved in the funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, orgAgencysing training camps for providing armed training and radicalising people to join banned organisation.
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