NEW DELHI: As part of its agenda to create terror, communal hatred and unrest in society and to further its agenda of establishing Islamic rule in India by 2047, the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) formed secret teams called ‘Service Teams’ or ‘Killer Squads’, to carry out killings of its ‘perceived enemies’ and targets.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) made these revelations in a chargesheet filed on Friday before a special court in Bengaluru pertaining to the killing of BJP’s Yuva Morcha district committee member Praveen Nettaru on July 26 last year at Bellare village in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. Nettaru was killed in full public view with lethal weapons to create terror among the people at large, especially among members of a particular community, the chargesheet said.
The chargesheet, which was filed against 20 PFI members, further mentions that “these ‘Service Team’ members were given training in arms, attack and surveillance in order to identify, list out and to mount surveillance on individuals and leaders belonging to certain communities and groups”. “These ‘Service Team’ members were further trained to assault and kill identified targets on the instructions of senior PFI leaders”, the NIA said.
In furtherance of conspiracy meetings by PFI members and leaders held at Bengaluru city, Sullia town and Bellare village, the chargesheet said “the head of district Service Team Mustafa Paichar was instructed to recce, identify and target a prominent member of a particular community”.
“As per instructions, four persons were recced and identified and among them, Praveen Nettaru, who was a BJP Yuva Morcha member, was assaulted and killed on July 26 last year in full public view with lethal weapons to create terror among the people at large and especially among members of a particular community”, mentions the chargesheet.
Of the 20 chargesheeted PFI members, six are absconding and rewards have been declared for information leading to their arrest in the case. The accused persons have been charge-sheeted under various sections of 120B, 153A, 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and Section 25(1)(a) of Arms Act.
Mahammed Shiyab, Abdul Basheer, Riyaz, Mustafa Paichar, Masud K A, Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik, Noufal M, Ismail Shafi K, K Mahammad Iqbal, Shaheed M, Mahammad Shafeek G, Ummar Farook M R, Abdul Kabeer CA, Muhammad Ibrahim Sha, Sainul Abid Y, Shekh Saddam Hussain, Zakiar A, N Abdul Haris, Thufail M H have been chargesheeted in the case.
Among the chargesheeted accused, Mustafa Paichar, Masud KA, Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik, Ummar Farook MR and Thufail MH are currently absconding and rewards have been declared for information leading to their arrest.
The case was initially registered on July 27 at Bellare police station of Dakshina Kannada district and re-registered by the NIA on August 4 last year. The Union Home Ministry, last September, banned the PFI, its associates and affiliates for a period of five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 by declaring it as an unlawful association.
Besides involvement in Nettaru’s murder, the PFI cadres are also accused of involvement in several terrorist acts and the murder of several persons, including Sanjith (Kerala, November 2021), V Ramalingam (Tamil Nadu, 2019), Nandu (Kerala, 2021), Abhimanyu (Kerala, 2018), Bibin (Kerala, 2017), Sharath (Kamataka, 2017), R Rudresh (Karnataka, 2016), Praveen Pujari (Karnataka, 2016), and Sasi Kumar (Tamil Nadu, 2016). (ANI)