The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) district president Sohail Khan in a case against PFI in Delhi on February 10.
According to sources, after the Kanhaiyalal murder case in Udaipur, the NIA had called Sohail Khan twice to Jaipur for questioning. He is also accused of giving provocative speeches and raising hateful slogans. It was revealed that Sohail is close to Gaus Mohammad, the main accused in the Kanhaiyalal murder case.
Earlier, last year, the NIA team also came to Udaipur during the action on PFI by the Modi government. But, Sohail fled from the house as soon as he got information about the NIA team reaching his house.
The NIA spokesperson has said that Mohammad Sohail, who hails from Murshid Nagar in Udaipur, was apprehended in Jaipur, for his significant participation in the criminal plot of the PFI.
“Sohail, along with PFI cadres/members, conspired to radicalise Muslim youths to commit violent and unlawful activities,” the spokesperson said.
On June 28, 2022, in a shocking incident, two Muslim men killed a Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in the Maldas Street Area of Udaipur, Rajasthan. According to the video shared by the Islamists, they killed the innocent tailor only because his son shared few posts on social media supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
In the viral video, the accused can be seen talking to Kanhaiya Lal at his shop; soon, when the tailor approached him for his measurement, he attacked him with a knife and stabbed him to death. Later in a video, the accused Mohammad Riyaz and his partner claimed responsibility for beheading Kanhaiya Lal.
Further in the video Riyaz used abusive language against PM Modi and Former BJP Leader Nupur Sharma and chanted, “Gustakhe Nabi Ki Ek Hi Saza, Sir Tan Se Juda….”
The NIA had arrested seven more accused on the basis of interrogation of the main accused. Earlier, last year, the Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliate organisations have been declared an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The notification issued by the Home Ministry on September 28 cited the outfit’s links with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Islamic State or ISIS, and said the PFI is involved in several criminal and terror cases.
The Islamist outfit, which draws inspiration from Wahabi school of thought in Islam, has been accused of raising funds, from both India and abroad, through hawala and donations as part of a “well-crafted criminal conspiracy”. “With funds and ideological support from outside, it has become a major threat to the internal security of the country,” said a Home Ministry order.
