The National Investigation Agency (NIA), India’s premier anti-terrorism agency, has filed a chargesheet against two individuals in a terror conspiracy case linked to the Hizb Ut Tahrir (HuT) terrorist organisation. The charges were presented before the NIA Special Court in Poonamallee, Chennai. According to the NIA, Abdul Rehman @Abdul Rahman and Mujibur Rehman @Mujibur Rahman Altham Sahib have been charged under various sections of the IPC and the UA(P) Act for conspiring to carry out terrorist activities aimed at promoting HuT’s ideology in Tamil Nadu and beyond.
The NIA’s investigation revealed that the accused conspired with self-employed office bearers of HuT to advance the group’s goal of establishing an Islamic Caliphate and implementing a Sharia-based draft constitution created by HuT founder Taqi al-Din al Nabhani. They were involved in recruiting students for HuT’s secret classes, conducting religious exposition (bayans), and producing short films to spread the group’s anti-India ideology on social media. The accused also organised an exhibition to promote the military power of Islamic nations, encouraging them to assist in overthrowing the Indian government through violent jihad.
NIA Chargesheets 2 in TN Hizb-Ut-Tahrir Terror Conspiracy Case pic.twitter.com/iMAabrym5i
— NIA India (@NIA_India) December 24, 2024
On October 10, 2024, the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Modi, officially designated the Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) organisation as a terrorist group.
Earlier, six individuals were arrested by the Chennai Cyber Crime Police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for their involvement in recruiting for HuT in Royapettah. The NIA revealed that Dr Hameed, a resident of Royapettah, is suspected to be the chief coordinator of the organisation. He allegedly organised secret meetings to propagate HuT’s ideology at a hall in Chennai. Dr Hameed also used his YouTube channel, Dr Hameed Hussain Talks, and established the Modern Essential Educational Trust to conduct training sessions on terror activities.
In its investigation, the NIA revealed that the accused had conducted secret bayans, where vulnerable youth, especially impressionable individuals, were radicalised with the ideologies of Hizb-ut-Tahrir. This group seeks military assistance (Nusra) from forces hostile to India to further its malicious agenda. Aziz Ahamed was identified as one of the key figures leading these secret bayans. One of the accused, Hameed Hussain, a doctorate holder in Mechanical Engineering, had been teaching engineering at colleges. The NIA took over the case in July 2024, carrying out raids at multiple locations and seizing various electronic devices and documents linked to Hizb-ut-Tahrir and its radical ideologies. The ongoing investigation is focused on uncovering the financial activities of the arrested individuals, aiming to trace their funds and identify further potential conspirators.
On October 10, 2024, the NIA also conducted searches at the residence of Faizul Rahman, a key arrested accused in the Tamil Nadu Hizb-ul-Tahrir anti-India conspiracy. In its statement, the NIA confirmed, “Extensive searches were carried out at Faizul Rahman’s house in Chennai, resulting in the seizure of several incriminating materials, including digital devices and documents. The accused had been collaborating with other arrested individuals to promote secessionism and seek military support from Pakistan to liberate Kashmir. The conspiracy aimed to establish a Caliphate/Islamic rule by overthrowing the government of India through violent jihad.”
In November 2024, a Special Court in Poonamallee, Chennai, handling NIA cases, sentenced Abdullah Aks Saravana Kumar to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000 for promoting the divisive and violent ideology of the banned terrorist outfit Hizb-ul-Tahrir (HuT). The country’s premier anti-terror probe agency, NIA, confirmed in a post on X that the court found him guilty of advising and inciting others to engage in unlawful activities. According to NIA investigations, Kumar had attempted to associate himself with HuT to advance its nefarious goals. He had also sought support for HuT, which advocated the establishment of a Khilafat (Caliphate) by overthrowing democratically elected governments, including India’s.
