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Delhi Excise Policy scam: Arrested Indospirit MD Sameer Mahendru sent to ED custody till 6 October by a Delhi court

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Excise Policy scam: Arrested Indospirit MD Sameer Mahendru sent to ED custody till 6 October by a Delhi court

On Wednesday 28th September 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru in the Delhi excise policy scam case. He was arrested in the morning, and his arrest is the second big arrest in the case after Vijay Nair. Mahendru is the managing director of Indospirit Group – a liquor distributor in Delhi’s Jor Bagh. Along with Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, he is also named as a key accused in the Delhi excise policy scam in the FIR filed by CBI.

After a day and night of questioning, the businessman in the liquor industry was taken into custody under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He was presented before a court in Delhi, where the ED had sought custody for further interrogation. Accordingly, the court remanded Sameer Mahendru to the Enforcement Directorate’s custody till October 6.

According to the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Sameer Mahendru had sent two payments totalling many crores to Manish Sisodia’s close acquaintances. He reportedly transferred Rs 1 crore to Radha Industries, which is run by Sisodia’s close friend Dinesh Arora. Arjun Pandey received between Rs 2 and Rs 4 crore in cash from Mahendru on behalf of Vijay Nair, another Sisodia ally.

In the CBI FIR, it is mentioned, “Arun Ramchandra Pillai used to collect undue pecuniary advantage from Sameer Mahendru for onward transmission to the accused public servants through Vijay Nair. A person named Arjun Pandey has once collected a huge cash amount of about Rs 2-4 crore from Sameer Mahendru on behalf of Vijay Nair.”

On Tuesday 27th September 2022, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Vijay Nair for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy in allocating liquor licenses. Nair served as the communication head for Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party and was formerly the CEO of the event management firm Only Much Louder.

Both the ED and the CBI are looking into alleged anomalies in the now-cancelled excise policy, which reportedly favoured some big liquor distributors and retailers while excluding smaller vendors from the tendering process.

GPS enabled Marine radio sets, pen drives with ISIS, Gajwa-e-Hind videos recovered from PFI leaders in Tamil Nadu

Siddhi Somani
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GPS enabled Marine radio sets, pen drives with ISIS, Gajwa-e-Hind videos recovered from PFI leaders in Tamil Nadu

Following the second round of crackdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday issued a notification banning the Islamist organization named Popular Front of India and its affiliate organizations. The MHA stated that the organizations including All India Imams Council, Campus Front of India (CFI), Rehab India Foundation, National Conf of Human Rights Org, National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala operated unlawfully and needed to be banned under UAPA.

The ban on the PFI came after two rounds of searches by the NIA in a multi-agency investigation against the organization for sponsoring terror operations in the nation. The initial series of raids occurred on September 22, with a follow-up on Tuesday, September 27 in multiple states, resulting in the arrest of at least 250 persons associated with PFI.

The NIA officials also recovered several incriminating materials from the PFI hubs located in around 17 states of the country. Prominent among them include a brochure and CD related to ‘Mission 2047’. As reported earlier, the document has been recovered from the possession of the vice president of PFI Maharashtra and PE training material from Irfan Milli’s house, State President PFI Maharashtra.

Further, a huge amount of undocumented cash has also been recovered from the PFI leaders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and also document in a ‘short course on how to make IEDs using easily available materials’. Meanwhile, pen drives containing videos related to ISIS, and Gajwa-e-Hind have been found from the Uttar Pradesh PFI leadership and Marine radio sets from Tamil Nadu PFI leadership. Many such other materials including wireless communication devices have been taken into custody by the official.

Marine radio establishing sea terror links

While the NIA officials recovered the ‘Mission 2047’ document and PE training material from the PFI hideout in Maharashtra, a huge amount of unaccounted cash and other incriminating devices were recovered from the PFI leaders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, most important of those being GPS enabled wireless communication devices and marine radio sets. In the national crackdown on September 23, the NIA officials recouped wireless communication devices from the house of now arrested PFI member Barakabdullah.

Two Lowrance LHR-80 recovered from the residence of Barakathulla

Barakabdullah who also is Ramnad West District President and State President, Fisherman Wing, SDPI, was arrested from his house in Valinokkam in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. According to the reports, two wireless sets, Lowrance LHR-80 Floating Handheld VHF with GPS, were seized from his home. The receiver incorporates a distress call button and illuminated function buttons for nighttime use enabling easy communication and navigation. Reports mentioned that wireless gadgets are used to map water routes, and the apprehended suspect may have been utilizing them for sea terror actions and money exchange.

Lowrance LHR-80 is a combo radio and navigator, a floating handheld VHF Marine Radio with an inbuilt GPS function, made by American marine electronics company Lowrance.

Pen drives include video of Gajwa-e-Hind, 1993 Bombay riots

Notably, the pen drives and other digital devices including three mobile phones recovered from the PFI hideout in Uttar Pradesh contained a video of ISIS, a video of Gajwa-e-Hind, a video of a provocative speech, and a few video clips from the Islamic States. The pen drive also contained videos related to the 1993 Bombay riots and Kashmiri Mujahid. The PFI members had plans to spread the roots of the organization to almost every household by 2047. They also had plans to establish Islamic rule in the country by 2047, the year that would mark 100 years of the country’s independence.

For this purpose, the PFI leaders had prepared a document named ‘Mission 2047’ which had an “Internal document, Not for circulation”, written on it. The document stated that the Muslims in the country are denied their rights and that they should increase their population and target Hindus to become a political power in the coming 25 years.

According to the reports, the recovery of the pen drives, mobile phones, and other incriminating digital devices was made by the Police from the PFI outfit in Uttar Pradesh. The ATS last week arrested the PFI individuals from Varanasi, Lucknow, and Meerut for conspiring to break the country and form an Islamic nation in 2047. The ATS stated that these people were engaged in anti-national activities by preparing sleeper modules in the state.

PFI UP instigated Muslims by calling state ‘an anti-Muslim government’

The ATS identified 24 such accused associated with the PFI who were misleading the Muslims by setting rhetoric against the Hindu community in Uttar Pradesh. They also criticized the Central Government led by PM Modi and the state government led by CM Yogi Adityanath by calling it ‘an anti-Muslim government’. The ATS interrogated the arrested individuals on September 24 to learn that PFI also had plans to launch severe anti-Hindu protests like that of anti-CAA and NRC riots.

The arrested accused identified as Shadab Aziz Qasim from Meerut and Rizwan from Varanasi and 4 others associated with the PFI trained their cadres for guerrilla warfare tactics to attain Gajwa-e-Hind. The goal of PFI, according to the security agency, is to strive toward making India the Islamic Republic. The PFI adherents want India to build a new Sharia-law-based society by 2047 by targeting and harming Hindus and engaging in subversive operations. The accused associated with the PFI believe that the organization will not stop until the goal of Gajwa-e-Hind is attained.

Four arrested PFI members on September 23 from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

The ATS also arrested Mohammad Shadab Aziz Qasmi, the President of All India Imam Council Western UP, Maulana Sajid, Mufti Shahzad, and Mohammad Islam Qasmi who were members of the Adhoc Committee of PFI Uttar Pradesh. Also, Abdul Majeed who operated the PFI media cell from Lucknow was detained by the officials amid the raids. Reports mention that Majeed was involved in spreading communal violence during the Ram Janmabhoomi Pujan and abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. The ATS however earlier had arrested one PFI member named Raj Mohammed who had threatened to blow up the RSS offices in Tamil Nadu.

Promoting Love Jihad and religious conversion

The investigating agencies also revealed that the PFI activists were deliberately encouraging the Islamists to trap Hindu women in love affairs and produce more children ultimately expanding the Muslim community. The PFI asked its cadres and other Muslims to force the Hindu women to convert their religion to Islam. At every PFI gathering, the activist would influence Muslims to run the agenda of love jihad and religious conversion. The organization had also declared a financial reward of Rs 2 lakh, a shop, and a house to anyone who would convert a Hindu girl to Islam. Reports mention that several Islamic organizations from several Islamic countries provided funds to the PFI for this purpose.

The MHA in the notice issued on September 28 stated that some PFI activists had joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and taken part in terrorist acts in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Some of these PFI cadres affiliated with ISIS have been executed in these conflict zones, while others have been apprehended by state police and central authorities. According to the government, PFI has ties to Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned terrorist organization, and some of its founding members are leaders of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), another banned organization.

The Home Ministry went on to say that the PFI’s office-bearers and cadres, along with others, were scheming and soliciting cash from within and beyond India via banking channels, ‘hawala’, and contributions as part of a “well-crafted criminal conspiracy.” According to the report, after collecting the finances, cadres moved, stacked, and integrated them through many accounts in order to present them as legal, and then utilized them to carry out various criminal, unlawful, and terrorist acts in India.

It is noteworthy that in the last couple of weeks, the central agencies, including NIA and ED, along with state police, have raided over a hundred locations linked to PFI across the country. More than 150 cadres of PFI were arrested or detained, including its chief OMA Salam.

Organising terror camps and engineering riots: OpIndia Exclusive on PFI’s ‘jihad’ of fomenting unrest and creating mayhem

OpIndia Staff
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Organising terror camps and engineering riots: OpIndia Exclusive on PFI’s ‘jihad’ of fomenting unrest and creating mayhem

As the centre banned the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) over its link with global terror outfits, including ISIS, the charge sheets filed by NIA in past cases against the group shone a light on its dangerous playbook—organising terror camps, hatching conspiracies, and engineering riots—as a part of its jihad against non-Muslims.

Narath PFI terror camp

Back in 2013, a group of people belonging to PFI/SDPI organised a terror camp at Narath, Kannur district, Kerala, and entered into a criminal conspiracy to impart training to youth for using explosives and weapons, intending to prepare them for carrying out terror activities.

However, the police got a tip-off about the terror camp underway at Narath and decided to raid the location. The police carried out a search operation on 24 March 2013 of the building owned by the Thanan Foundation, whose owner was the President of PFI, Kannur district. They found all the accused inside the building attending training in weapons and explosives.

The police recovered explosives, including 2 live bombs from the said location. The scrutiny of the bank accounts of some of the accused shed light on massive international transactions, revealing transnational involvement in organising the PFI terror camps in Kerala. Even the Enforcement Directorate found that PFI had raised substantial funds to organise terror camps in Kerala.

The investigations found that the SDPI/PFI leaders hatched the conspiracy to impart training in weapons and explosives to their cadres to retaliate against the alleged torture faced by Muslims in India, especially from the Hindus.

The NIA took over the case and invoked relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code against the 24 accused in the case.

2020 Bengaluru riots case

On August 11, 2020, a Muslim mob went on a rampage and unleashed mayhem in Bengaluru over a Facebook post, which was allegedly derogatory to Prophet Mohammad. The post was uploaded by one P Naveen, the nephew of Congress legislator Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.

The frenzied mob of 200-300 Islamists vandalised the residence of the Congress MLA and set police vehicles on fire. They also attacked police personnel in DJ Halli and KG Halli with stones and deadly weapons. Government properties and the building of KG Halli police station were destroyed in the arson attack.

In September 2020, an independent fact-finding committee published chilling testimonies of a few Hindu survivors, which proved that Hindus were selectively targeted and their homes and vehicles were damaged in the pre-planned carnage. 

During the deadly riots, 80 police officials sustained injuries. The Bengaluru police had arrested over 300 people in connection to the case and registered a total of 64 criminal cases.

One of the cases filed by the police was against Afnan, Muzammil Pasha, Syed Masood, and Ayaz for the destruction of public property.

As per the charge sheet filed by NIA, Pasha and Mohammed Sherif (SDPI President) were the key conspirators behind the riots that convulsed Bengaluru in August 2020. A provocative message was shared in a group, of which Pasha was one of the members. Instead of filing a complaint against Naveen, Pasha was found instigating the Muslim mob against him.

Naveen’s message was in response to a provocative video shared by Firdous Pasha in the group. Pasha knew well that Naveen would respond to the provocative video, and with this intention, he shared the incendiary clip with the group. Naveen’s response to the provocative video against Hindus was spread like a wildfire among Muslims to create unrest as Pasha desired to become a corporator and had joined the SDPI for the same reason.

SDPI Thanisandra ward convened a meeting on August 11 when the incident took place. Another WhatsApp group ‘brother’ shared video footage of happening outside the police station to further instigate the crowd. The investigating agencies later found that the majority of the accused were members of PFI and SDPI or gathered there on the call of PFI and SDPI leadership. 

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi opposes the ban on radical outfit PFI, plays the ‘Muslim victimhood’ card

OpIndia Staff
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AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi opposes the ban on radical outfit PFI, plays the ‘Muslim victimhood’ card

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday fulminated against the Centre after it banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) over its links with global terror outfits, including ISIS.

Owaisi addressed the issue in a series of tweets. Owaisi questioned why the PFI was outlawed when the organisation linked with the Khaja Ajmeri explosions was not. Why did the government not outlaw right-wing organisations? He stated, “while I have always opposed PFI doctrine and backed a democratic approach.” However, I oppose the ban on PFI. The action of a few individuals does not imply that the entire organisation should be banned.”

AIMIM chief went to play the victim card over what he called a ‘draconian ban’. Owaisi fear-mongering in his tweet, wrote, “But a draconian ban of this kind is dangerous as it is a ban on any Muslim who wishes to speak his mind.” Calling the UAPA a ‘black law’, Owaisi alleged that now every Muslim youth will be arrested with a PFI pamphlet. To support his claim, Owaisi cited the case of journalist Siddique Kappan, who was given bail 21 months after his detention.

Amidst his rant, Owaisi did not forget to take a jibe at BJP and Congress over amendments made in the UAPA law over time. Owaisi also questioned the government for not banning right-wing ‘majoritarian’ organizations.

Interestingly, Asaduddin Owaisi on an ABP News TV show with journalist Sumit Awasthi, while answering the question if PFI should be banned, said that if PFI wants to turn India into an Islamic country then it should have no place in the country and that banning the PFI is government’s duty. 

Ban on PFI

On September 27, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, exercised its powers under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), and banned the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associated or affiliated fronts for a period of five years with immediate effect.

It is worth noting that PFI and its sister organisations are present in over 17 states across the country. In several states, police and the NIA had filed over 1,300 criminal cases against PFI cadres and front organisations. Some of these cases were also filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act/UAPA, the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and other heinous IPC sections.

Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala were named as associates in a gazetted notification by the Government of India.

It is worth noting that in the past few weeks, central agencies such as the NIA and ED, along with state police, have raided over a hundred PFI-related locations across the country. More than 150 PFI cadres were arrested or detained, including the organization’s chief, OMA Salam.

Congress refuses to welcome the ban on PFI in as many words, issues word salad for statement: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Congress refuses to welcome the ban on PFI in as many words, issues word salad for statement: Read details

The Congress party has refused to openly welcome the ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and several other allied organizations. On 28th September 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs banned these organizations for a period of five years starting from immediate effect. Congress party issued a statement on the development, but the statement issued by the party did not openly welcome the move by the central government. It did not clearly mention the radical organization and why it is banned.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary (communications) of the All India Congress Committee, issued an official statement on 28th September 2022, that reads, “The Congress party has always been and will continue to be against all forms and types of communalism – the majority, minority makes no difference. Congress’ policy has always been to fight uncompromisingly all ideologies and institutions that abuse religion to polarise our society, that misuse religion to spread prejudice, hate, bigotry, and violence. This fight is of utmost priority to preserve, protect, and celebrate the secular and composite construct of our society and nationhood.”

Though the Congress party’s statement does not mention any of the banned organizations including PFI, its leaders have shown through their statements that they want a similar action against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Congress Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Kodikunnil Suresh compared the radical outfit PFI to RSS.

He said, “We are also demanding a ban on RSS also. PFI ban is not a remedy. RSS is also indulging in communalism across the country. RSS is spreading Hindu communalism everywhere. RSS and PFI are equal. So, the government should ban both. Why only PFI? RSS is doing majority communalism. Wherever RSS is spreading majority communalism, minority communalism is also coming up. Ultimately, both communalism is dangerous.”

Sheikh Bashir Ahmed is the provincial secretary of the National Conference. He claimed that the PFI has minimal influence across the country. He said, “PFI is an organization having no significant influence at any place. The organization is not much known in the whole country. But, as the existence of the organization has come to light recently and as it is known that it was working against the security interests of the country, then banning this organization is not a bad thing. But the time frame of 5 years is not convincing. What would be the situation after five years?”

He further said, “No one should be allowed to play with the security concerns of the country, but there should not be selectiveness in the action. Even RSS was banned once upon a time. But after that RSS went on to grow and today it says that we are the biggest patriots in the world. Even their activities are not good. The things they are preaching should also be kept watch upon. And these things are not hidden from anyone. They are breaking the nation. Their activities in the country are not good. They should also be checked.”

Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPIM), on the other hand, started demanding action against RSS hours before the ban was imposed on PFI and other organizations. The ban order was issued on 28th September 2022. A day before that, on September 27, CPIM issued a press statement.

In the press release, CPIM stated, “The BJP President, J. P. Nadda, has said Kerala is becoming a hotspot of terrorism.  This false accusation cannot cover up the fact that political violence in Kerala is being perpetuated by killings and retaliatory killings indulged in by the RSS and the Popular Front of India (PFI).  This year itself, there have been four deaths due to killings and retaliatory killings by workers of these two organizations in the Alappuzha and Palakkad districts. This is a deliberate effort to vitiate communal peace in the state and create communal polarization.  It would be better for the BJP President to advise the RSS not to engage in such provocative activities.  The LDF government has been taking firm action against the violent activities of all extremist organizations.”

It is notable that, on September 27, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India banned the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associated or affiliated fronts with immediate effect for a period of five years by exercising its powers under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA).

OpIndia Exclusive: The Islamist outfit PFI’s involvement in targeted killings of ‘kafirs’

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Exclusive: The Islamist outfit PFI’s involvement in targeted killings of ‘kafirs’

On Wednesday, 28 September 2022, the Centre banned the Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and several of its associates for five years under a stringent anti-terror law, accusing them of having links with global terror organisations, including ISIS.

The Centre also accused the PFI and its associates of indulging in subversive activities, thereby disturbing public order and undermining the constitutional set-up of the country. It said PFI propagated anti-national sentiments and radicalised a particular section of society, intending to create disaffection against the country.

Among the subversive activities undertaken by PFI, targeted killings of political and ideological opponents rank among the top. In several cases of political killings, the role of PFI and its associates in planning and executing the murders has come to the fore.

Here are some of the cases of the targeted killing in which investigative agencies have found PFI involvement:-

C Sasikumar murder case

One of the most high-profile targeted killing cases involving PFI cadres was that of Hindu Munnani spokesperson C Sasikumar. On 22 September 2016, some unknown persons followed C Sasikumar while returning home. Without any provocation, the bike-borne assailants attacked him with sharp weapons near Chakraa Vinayaka Temple, Subramaniayampalayam Road, under Thudiyalur Police Station, district Coimbatore. As a result of the assault, Sasikumar sustained grievous injuries on the neck, head, shoulder, and hands and later on, he succumbed to his injuries in KG Hospital, Coimbatore.

The police registered a case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. Later, the case was transferred to the Special Investigation Division (SID), which invoked sections 120B and 153A of IPC and Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, on 20 November 2017.

The SID charged Sadham Hussain and four others with murdering Sasikumar. After the Central government received information about the case against Sadham and others, the NIA registered a case under sections 302, 153A and 120B of IPC and under sections 16 & 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, against the accused and launched an investigation in the incident.

The investigation revealed that the accused were active members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and had conspired to strike terror in a particular section of people and send a message through the brutal killing of Sasikumar. The PFI members specifically chose Sasikumar for assassination owing to his growing stature in his organisation, and being a spokesperson for Hindu Munnani, he routinely interacted with higher functionaries of Hindu organisations.

Sasikumar was a public figure and widely popular among Hindu organisations. He also helped in facilitating the installation of Ganesha idols in Coimbatore and surrounding places during Ganesha Chaturthi by seeking permission from the district and local authorities. The NIA probe also found that the murder of Sasikumar had its roots in an incident that took place nearly a year before his assassination. On 23 September 2015, there was an incident wherein one SDPI (a political offshoot of PFI) flag post near the Revenue Office at Sanganur, Coimbatore, was taken down following a protest by local Hindu groups, including Hindu Munnani leaders in which Sasikumar played a pivotal role.

The assassination of Sasikumar was a symbolic message to Hindus and anybody who dared to cross the PFI and its associates. The PFI assailants specifically chose to hack Sasikumar in front of Chakra Vinayaka (Lord Ganesh) Temple, just 400 meters away from his house, not only because he was an ardent devotee of Lord Ganesha but also because they wanted to stir terror among the Hindus by demonstrating that they could murder anybody, even in front of their places of worship and near their homes. The date of the murder was also chosen to coincide with the date of removal of the SDPI flag post one year earlier.

The investigation found that all the five accused were members of PFI, and held criminal conspiracy meetings in the house of one of the accused, Mubarak, and also in the parking area of CTC Mosque and Sai Baba colony to commit the terror act.

Ramalingam Murder case

Another case that demonstrates the involvement of PFI workers in criminal activities is the Ramalingam murder case in 2019. On 5 February 2019, a heated altercation between Ramalingam between PFI Dawah workers became the cause of his death. Ramalingam had raised objections to the dawah work carried out by some PFI workers at Paku Vinayakam Thopu village, (an SC-dominated area) in Thirubuvanam, as they were learnt to be indulging in the forcible conversion of the poor people to Islam.

A heated argument ensued between Ramalingam and the PFI dawah workers, after which Ramalingam took the skull cap from one of the dawah workers and wore it, and asked a nearby resident to bring vibhooti (holy ash) and applied it to the forehead of a dawah team member, to show that Hindu religion emphasises that all religions are same. The video of the incident had gone viral on social media on the same day.

However, on the same night, while Ramalingam was returning with his son, he was intercepted by four unidentified men and brutally attacked with sharp weapons. Ramalingam suffered deep cuts and injuries and was rushed to the nearby government hospital. He was then referred to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital and on the way to Thanjavur, he succumbed to his injuries.

A case was filed in the matter under sections 302, 120B, 143, 147, &148 r/w 149 of the IPC, besides sections 15 r/w 16, 18, 18B, 19 & 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Considering the gravity of the offence and other factors involved in the case, the Government of India entrusted the investigation to NIA.

The NIA re-registered the case and launched an investigation into the matter. In its investigation, the NIA found that a meeting was held at the SDPI office on 5 February 2019, the same day when Ramalingam accosted PFI dawah workers and stopped them from carrying out proselyting activities. The meeting was presided over by Mohammed Ali Jinnah (Thanjavur north district president/PFI, now absconding) to discuss the incident of the verbal dual between Ramalingam and dawah workers. The meeting unanimously decided to chop off both hands of Ramalingam as punishment. Some of the participants said that if no action was taken by PFI, the organisation would become a laughing stock among Muslims and there would be further opposition to their dawah work. 

Immediately after the meeting, Mohamed Asarudeen, Mohamed Riyas, Nijam Ali, Sarbudeen, Mohamed Rizwan, Rahman Sadiq, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Mohamed Faruk and Myden Ahmed Shali hatched a criminal conspiracy to carry out jihad against Ramalingam by chopping off his hands so that no one could ever dare to raise their voice against their proselytising activities. In furtherance of the said conspiracy, the accused Thowheeth Batcha besides Abdul Majith, Bhurkhanudeen and Shahul Hameed had lethally attacked Ramalingam and caused his death, while Mohammed Thoufik and Mohamed Farvees helped the accused by providing information about the victim’s movements.

RSS worker R Rudresh hacked to death by PFI workers

R Rudresh, a committed RSS worker and a resident of Shivaji Nagar in Bengaluru was killed by 5 PFI activists on 16 October 2016 to strike terror at the hearts of people by killing RSS members in uniform. The police investigation in the case revealed that Rudresh was hacked to death by the accused Irfan Pasha and three others, who came on two motorcycles and attacked Rudresh with a sharp lethal machete by shouting the word “Chinalke Kaffir” meaning a “Bastard non-believer” and fled away.

The investigation also revealed that all the five arrested and one absconding accused were members of PFI and SDPI (the political wing of PFI). The same was well established by their photos figuring in posters of SDPI pasted in public places in Bengaluru city. The police also found that before executing their nefarious plan, the accused held a conspiracy meeting near AKSA masjid and near Chota Charminar in the month of September 2016. The probe found out that Asim Sherif, President of PFI Bengaluru, was the main conspirator behind the terror attack. It was Asim, the investigation revealed, who had brainwashed the other accused and convinced them that it was their religious duty to kill RSS members in uniform as part of the holy war against the kafirs.

Irfan Pasha, Waseem Ahmed, Mohd Sadiq, Mujeeb Ulla, and Asim Sheriff, all members of PFI, were arrested in the case. Mohammed Ghouse Nayazi, a conspirator and a PFI member, was absconding accused and charge-sheeted in the case.

It is worth noting that the said cases are not an exhaustive list, but a few examples of how PFI members are involved in killing Hindus for either wearing their religion on their sleeves or for opposing the illegal activities carried out by PFI cadres. There are, surely, many other cases of depravity by PFI members that are yet to see the light of the day or are currently under investigation.

West Bengal: YouTuber Tuhin Mondal arrested for allegedly offensive memes on CM Mamata Banerjee

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: YouTuber Tuhin Mondal arrested for allegedly offensive memes on CM Mamata Banerjee

A YouTuber named Tuhin Mondal from Taherpur in the Nadia district was detained on 26th September 2022 by the Kolkata Police for reportedly posting derogatory memes on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The content creator was taken into custody by Kolkata Police’s Intelligence Branch at his home in Bapujinagar, which is near Taherpur police station. He was nabbed after a 21-year-old guy name Sagar Das submitted a complaint a week ago at Taratala police station in south Kolkata.

The complainant had named several YouTube channels in his complaint, saying that they are posting memes by distorting the speeches of CM Mamata Banerjee. He alleged that there is a risk of unrest spreading in the state as a result of those meme videos. The channels are publishing derogatory and offensive remarks on the chief minister for financial benefits, and they may lead to a law and order situation in society, the complaint had further alleged.

After receiving the complaint, the police started the investigation and traced the mamIP addresses of the YouTube channels named in the complaint. They found that Tuhin Mondal from Taherpur were making these memes and uploading them on YouTube. Based on the probe, Mandal was arrested from his house.

An officer of the Kolkata police said, “Mondal, who has no steady income, is believed to have made provocative, derogatory, and abusive memes by editing parts of the chief minister’s speeches to defame her. The complainant claimed that such acts can incite violence and disrupt peace.”

Seven other content creators are also named in the complaint. The police are in search of the other accused. A case is also filed under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The police have also seized the mobile phone of the arrested 29-years-old Tuhin Mondal.

This is not the first incident in which the West Bengal police have arrested someone for allegedly insulting CM Mamata Banerjee. YouTuber Roddur Roy was detained by Kolkata Police in June after he allegedly insulted the chief minister during a Facebook Live session. Roy was arrested based on the complaint of Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen, who alleged that the YouTuber had used derogatory language against the Chief Minister in a Facebook live session. Ambikesh Mahapatra, a professor at Jadavpur University, was detained in April 2012 by the Kolkata Police after he was accused of having sent an email with a caricature of Banerjee in it.

OpIndia Exclusive: As Centre bans PFI, read about the Islamist organisation’s links to terror outfit ISIS

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Exclusive: As Centre bans PFI, read about the Islamist organisation’s links to terror outfit ISIS

Days after conducting raids and arrests of Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders, the central government on Wednesday banned the Islamist organisation and its associates for 5 years. 

In the notification, one of the reasons given by the Centre to ban the Islamist organisation was its links with terror outfits, most notably ISIS. The Union home ministry said some PFI activists joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and took part in terror activities there. Some of the PFI members have also been arrested on the charges of indulging in terror activities in India and solidifying the network in the country. 

Here are some of the terror cases filed against PFI activists and members:

Kunnur ISIS case

Kerala had long become the hotbed of Islamic terrorism, and the PFI and its affiliate organisations played a chief role toward that end. Many indoctrinated PFI members, had sought to travel to the middle-east to join the dreaded Islamic terror outfit the Islamic State.

Shahjahan VK, a resident of Kannur, Kerala, was one such individual who had travelled to Turkey/Syria to be a part of the ISIS terror group. The special cell of the Delhi Police which was working on unearthing the ISIS network in India had received information that Shahjahan had visited the national capital. They learnt that Shahjahan had been deported from Turkey/Syria for carrying out terror activities. 

In 2017, the special cell of the Delhi Police received intel that Shahjahan had been able to forge a passport in the name of Mohammed Ismail Mohideen and had probably gone out of India again. 

Later, Special Cell was informed by Central Intelligence Agency that Mohammed Ismail Mohideen had been arrested by Turkish Authorities and will be reaching Delhi Airport on 01.07.2017. 

Acting on the Central Intelligence Agency’s tip, the Special Cell arrested Mohideen and Abdul Razak Kunhil Pocker, who was coming along with him. In his interrogation, Shajahan disclosed that he obtained the passport on the forged identity of Mohammed Ismail Mohideen after his deportation from Turkey in February of the same year.

A case vide crime No. 44/2017 dated 01.07.2017 was registered at Special Cell Police Station of Delhi Police Under Sections 420,467,468,471 & 120B of Indian Penal Code and Section 12 of the Passport Act, 1967 and sections 18,20& 38 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 related to visiting Turkey/Syria for carrying out terror activities after procuring Indian Passport on forged identity. Given the gravity of the case and its Pan-Indian & transnational linkages, the case was transferred to NIA on September 4, 2017. NIA re-registered a case vide No. RC-12/2017/NIA/DLI dated 05.09.2017.

The NIA investigation found that Shahjahan had joined the National Democratic Fund (the predecessor to PFI) and gradually got radicalised by its leaders. Local PFI leaders namely Haris, Shabeer, Manaf, Mustafa, Sadik, Shajil and others indoctrinated him to pursue a militant version of Islam. He attended all PFI meetings in 2008 where the discussions were made on atrocities committed on the Muslims by the non-believers in India and other parts of the world.

The NIA also found that one Shameer, then Divisional President, Vallapatnam PFI, played a pivotal role in brainwashing Shahjahan with ISIS ideology. After the declaration of the Caliphate by Abu Bakar Baghdadi of ISIS, Shameer motivated Shajahanto to go for hijra as per Hadis and Quran for waging Jihad.

As instructed by Shameer, Shahjahan, along with his family, travelled to Malaysia in October 2016 en route to his final destination Syria. From Syria, he travelled to Iran, and from there, he proceeded to Istanbul, Turkey. However, the enforcement agencies in Turkey apprehended him and deported him back to India in February 2017.

After his failed attempt, Shahjahan planned to go to Syria for Hijra in March 2017. He acquired a forged passport and reached Turkey, where law enforcement officials once against apprehended him and deported him back to India on 1 July 2017. 

The NIA filed a charge sheet in the case, naming 17 people in the case, most of whom were linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) in some or the other capacity. 

Kochi Omar Al Hindi Case

The Kochi Omar Al Hindi case pertains to a terror module comprising of 15 youths and their associates from Southern Indian state owing their allegiance to ISIS and entering into a criminal conspiracy to wage a jihad against the government by gathering explosives and other materials to target important personalities and public places.

The module, “Ansar-ul khilafa KL” was also involved in a clandestine campaign of enlisting, encouraging, and brainwashing Muslim youths into joining the Islamic State. The associates of the module used various social media platforms to brainwash Muslim youth with incriminating material that propagated ISIS ideology. 

In October 2016, police arrested five accused namely Manseed, Swalith Mohammed, Rashid Ali safvan and Jasim NK arrested from Kanakamala within Chockli police station limits of Kannur district, Kerala, while they were holding a conspiracy meeting as part of their preparation to wage a war against the government.

Interrogation of the accused and the further investigation of the matter revealed that the accused had knowingly and intentionally conspired and conducted preparation to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal near Kodaikanal, to attack prominent political leaders at Kozhikode, Kerala, attack programme of Jamaat-e-Islami at Kochi. They had also conspired to attack High court judges, senior police officers and Muslims belonging to the Ahmadiyya sect with the intention of committing terror acts within India. 

The primary accused in the case was Omar Al Hindi alias Muthukka, who had not only hatched the conspiracy but also provided physical training to the members. He was initially radicalised by classes of PFI at his native place.  He was active in PFI and its overseas front India Fraternity Forum (IFF, Doha). Safvan was another key accused, whose role involved spreading ISIS propaganda and recruiting Muslims capable of carrying out terror attacks. He was an active PFI worker and was working as a graphic designer in Thejas Daily (PFI mouthpiece). He had also undergone physical training at NDF (one of the parent organisations of PFI).

Valappattanam ISIS Case

In 2017, the Kerala Police got information that some Muslim youth have migrated to Syria and were on their way to Syria to join ISIS and wage its violent jihad. Most of the accused in the case, the police later found, were members of the Islamist radical organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). 

As per the case details, one Hamza, a gulf returnee, was the mastermind behind recruiting Muslim youths in Kerala to join ISIS. To execute his plans, Hamza befriended many PFI supporters and members who harboured anti-national sentiments against India. 

Divisional president of PFI, Md Sameer aka Abu Safvan hatched and conveyed an elaborate plan for the ISIS joins to exit India and enter Syria through different countries to avoid suspicion and finally join ISIS in Syria. Later, Abdul Manaf alias Abu Fathima and Mohammed Sameer TV aka Abu Safvan, both PFI leaders, were killed in Syria while waging Jihad. As the investigation progressed, 5 persons, including the mastermind, were arrested by the Kerala Police before joining ISIS.

Hamza, the mastermind in the case, was a rabid supporter of the ISIS and Taliban. He indoctrinated PFI members Mohammed Sameer and Abdul Manan to perform ‘hijra’ from the land of the infidels. Sameer brainwashed other PFI associates, including Shahjahan VK and Mohammed Shajil, to join him in his plan to become a member of ISIS. 

Sameer moved to Saudi Arabia in December 2015 on the pretext of performing Umrah. He then directed other PFI associates in India to leave the country and join the Caliphate in Syria. Later, Sameer was killed in Syria. Meanwhile, Abdul Manan aka Abu Fathima, another rabid Islamist of PFI, joined ISIS in Syria through the Turkish border. Later, he was also killed while waging war in Syria. Mohammed Shajil and Shahjahan VK also encouraged their close associates in PFI to wage jihad in Syria. 

However, after Shahjahan was deported back to India, his associates who were dreaming of joining ISIS went underground. However, Shahjahan continued with his efforts to perform ‘Hijra’. In his second attempt, with the help of one Midlaj or Abu Misab, who was also recruiting youth to ISIS, Shajahan V.K managed to convince Abdul Khayoom and Abdul Razak to join ISIS. Among the trio, only Abdul Khayoom (reportedly killed in Syria) was able to sneak into Syria. Shajahan and Abdul Razak were deported back to India.

PFI General Secretary Anis Ahmed had openly supported terror organisation Hamas, other PFI leaders were hosted by Al-Qaida affiliate

OpIndia Staff
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PFI General Secretary Anis Ahmed had openly supported terror organisation Hamas, other PFI leaders were hosted by Al-Qaida affiliate

On September 27, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, exercised its powers under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 (UAPA) to ban the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) and its connected or affiliated fronts with immediate effect for a period of five years. During several raids at PFI offices across the country, the investigating agencies have recovered incriminating documents and other material that led to the ban. In the detail of the raids provided by the home ministry, it has been learnt that PFI’s General Secretary Anis Ahmed had openly supported and hailed Hamas, an international terrorist organization.

PFI and Hamas connection

According to a note released by the Home Ministry giving details of the raids on PFI, its General Secretary Anis Ahmed had openly supported and praised Hamas. The document also states that several PFI leaders like National Executive Council member P Koya, EM Abdul Rahiman, a vice president and others were hosted by The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Aid (İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı or IHH), an Al-Qaida linked Turkish charity organisation.

Hamas is the Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist terror organisation which is the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip. The group holds a majority in the parliament of the Palestinian National Authority. Hamas regularly indulges in terror activities by targeting civilians in Israel through indiscriminate rocket attacks. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries including The European Union, the United States, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom etc.

The ministry note states that the list of PFI’s links with other Islamic terror organisations is so long that it will take at least dozens of pages just to describe them.

Arndt Emmerich, a German postdoctoral research scholar at the Max Weber Institute for Sociology at the University of Heidelberg, wrote explicitly about the core inspiration of the PFI.

“The PFI chairman encouraged me to research ‘what sort of Islam has impacted our movement: Why are we not like the Tablighi Jamaat or the Salafis?  We resemble Hamas, a religiously motivated community organization.'” he wrote in his book, Islamic Movements in India (Chapter: ‘Islamic Pragmatism and Legal Education,’ page-153).

Furthermore, on page 4 of the PFI’s India-2047 ‘internal’ document, it is stated that “we would employ violence selectively to demonstrate our might and terrorize our opponents while limiting exposure of our trained cadres to security forces.” Those with talent will be identified and recruited from among all cadres receiving PE to receive advanced training in weaponry, including firearms and explosives.”

Taking inspiration from Hamas, PFI provided secret training in the use of weapons and explosives against opponents in order to demonstrate the power and engage them in a pointless conflict in order to deplete the opponent’s resources and military force. 

What is Hamas?

Hamas emerged in the 1980s and made its mark in 1987 when it spearheaded the first Intifada or Palestinian rebellion against Israel. Hamas means zeal in Arabic, but it is also an abbreviation for Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, in Palestine.

Hamas opposes the Palestinian Authority’s and the United Nations’ two-state solution. Both Israel and Palestine are guaranteed to exist under the peace agreement. Hamas refuses to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist.

Hamas has a long history of violating human rights. During Israel’s military offensive in the besieged area in 2014, a UK-based human rights organization accused Hamas of committing atrocities against Palestinian political opponents. According to the report, Hamas unlawfully killed at least 23 people, including six persons who were arrested during the conflict and killed in public.

It also accused the group of kidnapping and attacking “members and supporters” of Fatah, Gaza’s main political opposition, as well as former Palestinian Authority security officers, which control the occupied West Bank.

In the 2021 stand-off between Israel and Palestine, Soumya Santhosh, an Indian nurse from Kerala was killed in a Hamas rocket strike at Ashkelon in Israel.

During the 11-day conflict between Israel and Gaza, Hamas and other similar groups launched at least 4,360 rockets and mortars at Israel. Of those, 3,573 landed in Israeli territory, 280 landed in the Mediterranean, and a significant 680 landed in Gaza (according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, or ITIC). Hamas rockets killed several Israelis and Palestinians.

By banning the Islamist organization PFI, the Modi government has thwarted a potential Hamas-like threat PFI would have posed to India’s unity, integrity, and sovereignty.

PFI ban: The group’s sinister plan to instigate a civil war in India over NRC and CAA

OpIndia Staff
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PFI ban: The group’s sinister plan to instigate a civil war in India over NRC and CAA

On September 28, the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India banned the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). One of the reasons that led to the ban of PFI and its sister organisations was the plan to create a civil-war-like situation in India.

As per reports, during one of the raids conducted on PFI leaders and members, the Enforcement Directorate recovered a diary from OAM Salam’s close associate M Mohammed Ismail. OAM Salam is the chief of PFI.

In the diary, there was a detailed plot of PFI and Salam to create a civil war-like situation in India. Not to forget, in June 2022, the investigation agencies revealed that PFI had held a ‘Civil War’ meeting on November 10, 2020. This was when there was unrest in India because of the anti-CAA/NRC protests and farmer protests brewing in the country, especially in North India.

At that time, on page 15 of the Civil War diary recovered from PFI, it was reportedly mentioned that the ‘nation may witness severe civil war-like NRC, CAA’. The organisation had urged the members to increase the strength of the organisation and “fight in the course”. It also asked for “strong suggestions to implement” the chaos.

Sufi Islamic Board had urged PFI to prepare for Civil War

In April 2022, the Sufi Islamic Board took on Twitter and urged the organisation to reorganise itself to become a “revolutionary army” to gain strength in order to win the “upcoming civil war”. The letter was clearly reeking anti-government, anti-India, and anti-Hindu sentiments, the Islamist organization also said that already the “Sufi Islamic board (Shaukat Ali) has criticized Popular Front of India for radicalizing the Muslims. No, it is the fascist BJP / RSS Hindutva Brahmin supremacist policies that are alienating the Muslims and if groups like the Sufi Islamic board do not fall in line behind the project to protect the Muslims of India from prosecution and potential genocide they should be dismissed as munafiq (hypocrites)/ Kafir (non Muslims) which the treacherous Shaukat Ali (Advisor, International Affairs, Sufi Islamic Board) has clearly shown to be”.

Nationwide raids on PFI and MHA’s notification to ban the organisation

There have been multiple raids at over 100 locations across the country at locations linked to PFI leaders and members. Incriminating material including bomb-making manuals, weapons, cash and other material was recovered during raids. Over 100 members of PFI were detained or arrested including its chief OMA Salam.

Following the raids, MHA banned the organisation on September 27 through gazetted notificiation citing reasons including money laundering and involvement in terrorist activities. MHA also mentioned that PFI was involved in creating unrest and murdered of several individuals of non-Muslim communities especially those linked to Hindu outfits like RSS.

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