The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recently filed two chargesheets against 68 Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders, cadres, and members in two different cases in Kochi, Kerala and Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
According to the chargesheets, the PFI’s most active states are related to separate criminal conspiracies hatched by them to drive a wedge between people of different communities by radicalising impressionable Muslim youth, arming them, and raising funds to carry out acts of terror and violence with the ultimate goal of establishing Islamic rule in India by 2047.
The Kerala PFI case was registered in September, 2022 by the NIA to investigate the criminal conspiracy planned by PFI members and cadres.
Furthermore, the NIA includes in its Kerala chargesheet the linked case of the savage execution of Palakkad resident Sreenivasan, who was hacked to death by armed PFI cadres. According to NIA investigations, some of the accused in the PFI criminal conspiracy case (September, 2022) were also engaged in Sreenivasan’s murder.
The suspects in the two chargesheets have been charged under different IPC, UAPA, and Arms Act sections. After taking over the investigation in 2022, the NIA additionally attached 17 properties as ‘proceeds of terrorism’ and blocked 18 bank accounts.
“Investigations in the case had revealed that the accused had been conspiring to drive a wedge between people of different communities and groups living in India, spread the concept of violent extremism and Jihad in India with the objective of dismembering the country and taking it over by establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047. PFI had developed several Wings & groups to fulfil these aims, including as the “Reporters Wing,” “Physical and Weapons Training Wing,” and “Service Teams,” the NIA press release stated.
It further alleged that PFI was using its numerous campuses, facilities, and infrastructure to give weapons training to chosen cadres in the pretence of Physical Education, Yoga Training, etc, and had developed a ‘Reporters Team’ and ‘Services Team or Hit Team’ to destroy its “targets”. It also said that whenever required, PFI put into service its loyal and highly trained cadres of their ‘Service Teams’ as ‘executors’ of the orders issued by their parallel courts, called as “Dar-ul-Qaza”.
According to the agency’s press release, Abdul Sathar (State General Secretary), Yahiya Koyal Thangal (State Executive Member), Shihas MH (Ernakulam Zonal Secretary), and District Secretaries/President Sainudhen TS, Sadik AP, CT Sulaiman, and PK Usman (State General Secretary SDPI) are among the prominent PFI leaders and office bearers chargedsheeted in the case.
“NIA investigations in the case had indicated that the accused had organised radicalization programmes to encourage, agitate and recruit naive Muslim youth, who were subsequently granted weapons training in the training camps. PFI cadres used to carry out directions from PFI office bearers and commanders to undertake recce, attack adversaries and engage in unlawful and violent acts,” the press release statement stated.
