Rajasthan PFI case: NIA files charge sheet against accused

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency has filed a charge sheet against two arrested members of the banned Popular Front of India in a case related to activities and agenda of violent extremism by the outfit being pursued in Rajasthan, an official said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Ashif alias "Asif" of Kota and Sadiq Sarraf of Baran in Rajasthan have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a special court here on Monday, a spokesperson of the NIA said. This was the first charge sheet filed by the federal agency in the case which was initially registered on September 19 last year at NIA headquarters, New Delhi. Besides Ashif and Sarraf, another PFI member Mohammad Sohail of Udaipur stands arrested in the case.

The official said the case was registered to probe the criminal conspiracy, which had been hatched by PFI cadres with the aim of driving a wedge between different communities in India through radicalisation and arms-training of gullible Muslim youth, training them in handling of weapons and explosives and raising funds for carrying out acts of terror and violence with the objective of establishing Islamic Rule in India by 2047. "They (Ashif and Sarraf) are trained PFI members who were involved in recruitment and radicalisation of impressionable Muslim youth for the PFI for committing violent acts.

"They were also found involved in organising training camps in handling of weapons and explosives, instigating PFI cadres to pick-up arms and raising funds for carrying out violent activities," an NIA spokesperson said. The official said they were also found actively promoting enmity between different religious groups in India and motivating the youth to resort to violent means to establish Islamic rule in the country.

"The accused persons radicalised gullible Muslim youth by brainwashing them into believing that Islam was in danger in India and it was therefore essential for PFI cadres and the community to train themselves in the use of arms for protecting Islam and establishing Islamic rule in India by 2047," the spokesperson said. The NIA said the accused persons were collecting funds in the name of 'Zakat' for procurement of weapons and organising weapon and explosives training camps for PFI cadres.