NIA given custody of 11 PFI activists who were charged under UAPA, in Kochi

The NIA special court reprimanded the activists for raising slogans within the court premises. They would again be produced before the special court on September 30.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Kochi that is trying the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case that was registered against 13 PFI activists, handed over the custody of 11 activists who had been arrested on Thursday by the agency, till September 30, on Saturday.

This followed a custody application that was submitted by NIA. The court reprimanded the activists for raising slogans within the court premises, on Saturday. They would again be produced before the special court on September 30.

Udupi police looking for 20 PFI activists who held ‘rasta roko’ without permission

As per a remand report filed by the agency before the court on Friday, office-bearers, members and affiliates of the PFI in Kerala encouraged vulnerable youths to join terrorist organisations, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daesh and Al-Qaeda and conspired to establish Islamic rule in India by committing terrorist acts as a part of violent jihad.

The report further stated that they conspired to propagate an alternative justice delivery system to justify the use of criminal force and caused alarm and fear among the general public. They conspired to indulge in unlawful activities by creating enmity between members of different religions and groups, prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, with an intention to disrupt public tranquillity and cause disaffection against India by wrongful interpretation of Government policies to a particular section of people.

It also refers to the seizure on Thursday of articles and documents which would help unravel a ‘larger conspiracy’ and contained highly incriminatng materials related to targeting prominent leaders of a particular community. A ‘hit-list’ seized during the raid showed that the PFI had gone far ahead in creating atrocities among the community. More investigation was required to obtain more evidence and to prevent bloodbath in society, the agency said.

“There is another reference in the report to the role of two of the accused persons who have not yet been arrested, calling for a State-wide hartal on Friday, showing the ‘influence’ they wielded. Giving them bail would result in they absconding and tampering with evidence,” it said.