The killing of RSS worker Rudresh’s on October 16, 2016 was a clear act of terrorism with the intention of instilling fear in the minds of people and was a step towards establishing the Islamic Caliphate in India, says
Guruprasad R
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed charge sheet in a special court against five persons for allegedly killing an RSS member Rudresh in Bengaluru last year with an intention to strike terror among people and prevent them from joining the RSS. Those named in the charge sheet were members of Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliated political organisation Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), an NIA release said. “A charge sheet was filed before a special court here against five persons for killing Rudresh with an intention to strike terror among a section of the people,” it said.
The killing of Rudresh had raised a political storm with saffron parties staging protests over it in the State. BJP leader and former minister Shobha Karandlaje had alleged involvement of a State Minister in the incident. The NIA said its investigation established that the accused and others had held conspiracy meetings prior to the terrorist act near Aksa Masjid, and Chota Charminar in Bengaluru in September 2016. They had decided to kill at least two RSS workers in uniform soon after their procession, the NIA said. The killing of RSS workers would immediately strike terror in a section of people and prevent many of them from joining the organisation, the release added. Investigation has disclosed that the indoctrination of the members was done in order to make them believe that they were doing their act as part of fulfilling the objective of “establishing Islam and jihad by killing a kafir (a non-Muslim)”, NIA said.
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The intention to strike terror among a section of the people was achieved by the broad-daylight murder of Rudresh who was in uniform, using a lethal weapon on October 16, 2016, it said. None of the accused, arrested last year, had personal enmity with the deceased Rudresh and he was killed solely because of his leadership and membership to a particular organisation, it added. The accused are Irfan Pasha, Waseem Ahmed, Mohammad Sadiq, Mohammed Mujeeb Ulla and Asim Sheriff. They have been listed in the charge sheet under sections Indian Penal Code sections and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the agency said. Rudresh, 35, who was a RSS swayamsevak and BJP’s general secretary of the Shivajinagar Assembly segment, was returning from a special march organised by the RSS on October 16 when he was brutally stabbed from behind around 12:30 pm.
