New Delhi [India]: 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 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 National Investigation Agency (NIA) made these revelations in a charge sheet filed on January 20 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 in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district.
These details were revealed in a charge sheet the National Investigation Agency (NIA) submitted on January 20 before a special court in Bengaluru pertaining to the killing of BJP’s Yuva Morcha district committee member Praveen Nettaru on July 26, 2016, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Karnataka’s 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 charge sheet, which was filed against 20 PFI members, further mentions that “these ‘Service Team’ members were given arms as well attack training and surveillance techniques training 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,” said the NIA in the charge sheet.
According to the charge sheet, PFI members and leaders had conspiratorial meetings in Bellare Village, Sullia Town, and Bengaluru City, adding “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 charge-sheet.
Six of the 20 charge-sheeted PFI members 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 KA, 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 MH have been charge-sheeted in the case.
Among the charge-sheeted 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 NIA re-registered the case on August 4 of last year after being initially registered on July 27 by the Bellare Police Station in the Dakshina Kannada district.
During several raids, the NIA claimed to have seized digital devices and incriminating documents from the houses of the accused and suspects.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 was invoked by the Home Ministry in September to impose a five-year ban on the PFI, its associates, and affiliates.
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 (Kamataka, 2016), Praveen Puyari (Karnataka, 2016), and Sasi Kumar (Tamil Nadu, 2016).
