logo
NIA: PFI carried hit list, including former judge

NIA: PFI carried hit list, including former judge

Hindustan Times25-06-2025
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing criminal cases involving cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), has claimed that the Islamist outfit carried hit lists of hundreds of people it aimed to target, including a former district judge in Kerala. DGP Ashok Juneja, ADGP Vivekanand, IG CRPF Rakesh Agarwal, IG Bastar Sundarraj, and other senior officials during their visit to the site where an IED blast occurred on the security force's vehicle. (ANI)
The national agency's disclosure was revealed in an order of a special NIA court in Kochi on June 11, rejecting the petitions for bail by two accused in the case of the murder of RSS leader Srinivasan in April 2022. The murder, allegedly carried out by PFI workers, was one of the crimes that led to the nationwide ban by the Union government on the extremist outfit in 2022.
The NIA prosecutor told the special court in Kochi that the PFI had three wings — 'Reporters Wing', 'Physical and Arms Training Wing' and 'Service Wing/Hit teams'. The 'India 2047' agenda of the PFI was to eliminate those that go against the interests of the outfit, he said.
'Therefore, PFI through their secret 'Reporters wing' collected and maintained the personal details of the people of other community, including their position, name, age, photo etc. The same is established through the seizure of various hit lists prepared by PFI cadres through their secret wing called 'Reporters wing',' the order read.
The 'Reporters wing', it said, collected personal and private information of prominent personalities in society besides leaders of other communities like Hindus including their day-to-day activities.
'The data is compiled at the PFI district level and communicated to their state hierarchy. The details are regularly updated and utilised to 'target' the individuals as and when required by the terrorist gang. The PFI had trained its cadres for collection of such data and had stored them besides providing the same to their assault teams in 'Service wing' as when decided by their leadership,' the order said.
The NIA told the court that documents containing the hit list of about 240 persons were seized from Sirajudheen, a member of the 'Reporters wing' of PFI and accused number 51 in the Srinivasan murder case.
The agency stated that the name of a former district judge in Kerala was on a hit list of five targeted persons seized from Abdul Wahab, another accused in the murder case.
The NIA told the court that it has seized documents containing hit lists of 232 persons from Muhammed Sadik, an accused-turned-approver in the case, and another hit list of 500 persons from an absconding accused named Ayoob TA.
The agency stated that in murder cases involving PFI cadres, including that of RSS leader Srinivasan in Palakkad, the accused did not have any personal enmity with the deceased. 'The victims have been selected solely because of their leadership/membership to a particular community and were killed to create terror in society,' it said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Delhi HC seeks NIA response in Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid's plea challenging framing of terror funding, other charges against him
Delhi HC seeks NIA response in Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid's plea challenging framing of terror funding, other charges against him

Indian Express

time25 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Delhi HC seeks NIA response in Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid's plea challenging framing of terror funding, other charges against him

The Delhi High Court Thursday issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), seeking its response to a petition filed by Independent Baramulla MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid challenging the framing of terror funding charges against him, including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), among others. Meanwhile, a division bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur directed the transfer of two pleas by Rashid, wherein he is seeking modification of his custody parole that requires him to bear the travel and security costs for attending Parliament sessions. Senior Advocate N Hariharan, representing Rashid, told the bench that he has no objections if the pleas are transferred to the bench comprising Justices C D Singh and Anup Bhambhani, which had imposed the condition. Justice Singh stands transferred and, upon directions from the Chief Justice, a new bench may be composed, including Justice Bhambhani. Justice Chaudhary, on July 29, had orally opined that the bench is inclined to transfer the plea to the earlier bench, reasoning that it cannot sit in appeal and rehear the same issue, in adherence to 'judicial discipline'. Rashid has filed the plea challenging the framing of charges with a delay of around three years (1,104 days), and a bench of the Delhi HC had earlier issued notice on the application seeking condonation of this delay on May 15. The NIA had earlier opposed the condonation of delay, submitting that delay beyond 90 days cannot be condoned. On the other hand, Rashid had argued that the limitation of 90 days is not sacrosanct, especially in matters of life and liberty. A special NIA court in Delhi had framed charges against Rashid in March 2022. Rashid, who defeated Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla seat by over 2 lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has been lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail since 2019 in a case of alleged terror funding. Rashid was arrested in 2019 under the UAPA. According to the NIA, he used various public platforms to 'propagate the ideology of separatism and secessionism', was closely associated with various terrorist organisations, and wanted to 'legitimise' the United Jihad Council, a platform of anti-India militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir. On May 30, 2017, the NIA registered a case against Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed and other 'secessionist and separatist' leaders who, according to the NIA, 'received and collected' funds through hawala channels in 'connivance with active militants of… terrorist organizations Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Toiba' to fund 'terrorist activities' in Jammu and Kashmir. Rashid was booked as part of this case.

Malegaon blasts case timeline: Here's how things unfolded from 2008 as ex-BJP MP Pragya Thakur and six others acquitted
Malegaon blasts case timeline: Here's how things unfolded from 2008 as ex-BJP MP Pragya Thakur and six others acquitted

Mint

time25 minutes ago

  • Mint

Malegaon blasts case timeline: Here's how things unfolded from 2008 as ex-BJP MP Pragya Thakur and six others acquitted

A special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, stating that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Those cleared of all charges include former MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (also known as Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni. 'All bail bonds stand cancelled and sureties are discharged,' the court said in its order. The court also directed the Maharashtra government to pay compensation of ₹ 2 lakh each to the families of those killed in the blast and ₹ 50,000 each to those who were injured. The blast took place on September 29 2008, when an explosive device attached to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Bhikku Chowk, Malegaon. Six people lost their lives, and 95 others were injured in the explosion. Initially, 11 people were named as accused in the case, but charges were ultimately framed against only seven of them. September 29, 2008: A bomb planted on a motorcycle goes off at Malegaon in Maharashtra's Nashik district. Six persons killed and 101 injured. September 30, 2008: An FIR is lodged at Azad Nagar Police station in Malegaon. October 21, 2008: Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) takes over the probe into the case. October 23, 2008: ATS makes first arrests in the case. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and three others arrested. ATS claims the blast was carried out by right wing extremists. November 2008: Lt Col Prasad Purohit arrested by ATS for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy of the blast. January 20, 2009: ATS files charge-sheet against 11 arrested accused, including Pragya Thakur and Purohit before special court. Accused are charged under the stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC). Two persons - Ramji alias Ramchandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange are shown as wanted accused. July 2009: Special court says provisions of MCOCA are not applicable in the case and the accused shall be tried by a court in Nashik. August 2009: Maharashtra government moves Bombay High Court in appeal against special court order. July 2010: Bombay High Court overturns special court order and upholds the charges under MCOCA. August 2010: Purohit and Pragya Singh Thakur move Supreme Court against HC order. February 1, 2011: ATS Mumbai arrests another person - Pravin Mutalik. A total of 12 persons arrested by then. April 13, 2011: National Investigation Agency (NIA) takes over the case. February and December 2012: NIA arrests two more persons - Lokesh Sharma and Dhan Singh Chaudhary. Total arrests 14 by then. April 2015: Supreme Court sends back case to special court for reconsideration of applicability of MCOCA. February 2016: NIA tells special court that it has taken the Attorney General's opinion on whether provisions of MCOCA can be applied in the case. May 13, 2016: NIA files charge-sheet before special court. Drops MCOCA charges from the case. Gives clean chit to seven accused. April 25, 2017: Bombay High court grants bail to Pragya Thakur. HC refuses bail to Purohit. September 21, 2017: Purohit gets bail from the Supreme Court. By the end of the year, all arrested accused out on bail. December 27, 2017: Special NIA court discharges accused Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Shyam Sahu and Praveen Mutalik Naik from the case. Court also drops charges related to being members of a terrorist organisation and raising funds for terrorist acts under the UAPA. October 30, 2018: Charges framed against seven accused - Thakur, Purohit, Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sudhakar Chaturvedi. They face trial under UAPA for committing a terrorist act, and under IPC for criminal conspiracy and murder. December 3, 2018: Trial begins with the examination of first witness in the case. September 14, 2023: After examining 323 prosecution witnesses (of which 37 turned hostile), prosecution decides to close its evidence. July 23 ,2024: Examination of defence witnesses (eight) completed. August 12, 2024: Special court records final statements of accused under section 313 of Criminal Procedure Code. Matter posted for final arguments of prosecution and defence. April 19, 2025: Special court closes trial for judgment. July 31, 2025: Special NIA Judge A K Lahoti acquits all seven accused, including Thakur and Purohit, noting there was no "cogent and reliable" evidence to warrant conviction. Court says the prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

2008 Malegaon blast: NIA court acquits all 7 accused, gives them benefit of the doubt
2008 Malegaon blast: NIA court acquits all 7 accused, gives them benefit of the doubt

Hans India

time25 minutes ago

  • Hans India

2008 Malegaon blast: NIA court acquits all 7 accused, gives them benefit of the doubt

Mumbai: The benefit of the doubt given to the seven acquitted accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case is rooted in the Special NIA court's rejection of the prosecution theory that Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit planted the bomb on a motorcycle and that the vehicle belonged to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Judge A.K. Lahoti pulled up the prosecution for its failure to prove who manufactured or supplied the bomb and slammed the investigators for their inability to establish who planted the bomb on the motorcycle. Giving the benefit of the doubt to the accused, the court dismissed the prosecution's charge that an explosive was fitted in the motorcycle by Lt Colonel Purohit, saying that the explosive could have been placed or hung on the vehicle. Also, the chassis number of the motorcycle was never recovered, and it could not be established that Sadhvi Pragya was the owner of the vehicle, it noted. No evidence was found linking Abhinav Bharat to the activity, and the entire case was based on an allegation, the court said. Additionally, Judge Lahoti noted that there was no proof that RDX was stored at Lt Colonel Purohit's residence and took a serious view of allegations that explosives were planted at the residence of accused Sudhakar Chaturvedi. The court has now directed the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to initiate a probe into allegations that explosives were planted at the residence of accused Chaturvedi. The acquittal is also a reflection of the shoddy probe conducted into the case. The court said that the 'panchnama' was not prepared properly after the blast, and no fingerprints were collected from the crime scene. Experts failed to collect evidence properly after the incident, resulting in contamination of crucial proof, the NIA court said. The seven individuals who were put on trial included Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, former BJP MP from Bhopal; Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, then serving officer in Military Intelligence; Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay; Ajay Rahirkar; Sudhakar Dwivedi; Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni. The explosion killed six people on September 29, 2008, and 101 were injured in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Maharashtra, when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque during the holy month of Ramzan. Following the blast, riot-like conditions erupted at the site, with local residents attacking police, further complicating the investigation. While acquitting the accused, the NIA court also directed the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation to the victim's families and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Meanwhile, Advocate Shahid Nadeem, lawyer of one of the victims in the Malegaon blast case, said, "This is not a clear acquittal; an appeal will be filed in this matter.' Earlier, accused Major Upadhyay said, 'I was physically tortured, mentally ruined, financially devastated and socially boycotted. My landlord threw me out with my belongings. I spent 9 years in jail, and my family suffered immensely…' The hearing in the case concluded in April this year, and the court reserved its judgment on April 19. Throughout the trial, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, though 34 of them turned hostile, significantly weakening the prosecution's case. Initially, the investigation was conducted by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which arrested the accused and filed the first charge sheet. However, in 2011, the probe was transferred to the NIA. In 2016, the NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet dropping charges against several accused, including Sadhvi Pragya, citing insufficient evidence to prosecute them under stringent anti-terror laws. All accused were out on bail during the trial. They were facing serious charges, including conspiracy, murder, and use of explosives under UAPA and IPC provisions.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store