Chennai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), India’s premier anti-terror probe agency, has filed a chargesheet against Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a resident of Batlagundu in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, for allegedly providing shelter to proclaimed offenders (POs) who were absconding in connection with the sensational 2019 Thirubuvanam Ramalingam murder case. The chargesheet was filed before the NIA Special Court in Chennai on Friday, May 9, six years after the brutal killing that sparked nationwide outrage.
According to an official statement released by the NIA, Jinnah has been charged under various relevant laws for knowingly harbouring the absconding assailants and conspirators involved in the murder of Ramalingam. The case, registered as RC-06/2019/NIA/DLI, was taken over by the NIA in March 2019.
Ramalingam was brutally hacked to death in February 2019 by members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Thirubuvanam, near Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur district. His murder was a direct consequence of his repeated opposition to the group’s forceful attempts at religious conversion of Hindus. Investigations revealed that the enraged PFI members viewed Ramalingam as a significant obstacle to their conversion efforts and conspired to eliminate him within 24 hours of him objecting to their activities.
The NIA’s statement recalled the sequence of events leading to the chargesheet against Jinnah. The agency had initially chargesheeted 18 accused in August 2019, out of whom six remained absconding and were subsequently declared Proclaimed Offenders (POs). The investigation further revealed that Mohammed Ali Jinnah had provided shelter to all six of these absconding individuals in a cottage.
#NIA have filed a charge sheet against an accused for harbouring the proclaimed offenders in the 2018 Ramalingam murder case for six years.https://t.co/Dp0swHVJwM
— TNIE Tamil Nadu (@xpresstn) May 10, 2025
Jinnah was eventually apprehended in November 2024 following relentless efforts by the NIA to track down those who had assisted the POs in evading the law for years. Prior to Jinnah’s arrest, three of the six absconding POs were arrested on different occasions between 2021 and January 2025. The NIA continues its search for the remaining three absconders, for whom a reward of Rs 5 lakh each has been announced for any information leading to their arrest.
NIA sources elaborated on the reasoning behind Jinnah’s arrest and subsequent chargesheeting. They stated that Jinnah is accused of providing refuge to the six absconding assailants and conspirators who had evaded arrest since the heinous crime in 2019. The provided shelter in a cottage allowed these individuals to remain at large for an extended period, hindering the process of justice.
The chilling details of Ramalingam’s murder had sent shockwaves across the nation. Reports indicated that Ramalingam had advised the PFI members to treat all religions with respect. In a gesture of goodwill, he had even worn their skull cap and, reciprocally, attempted to apply sacred ash and vermillion on their foreheads. This act of religious harmony, however, infuriated the accused, who, adhering to a strict interpretation of Islamic tenets, viewed it as an act against Islam. Consequently, they plotted and executed his cold-blooded murder.
The initial investigation by the local police was subsequently transferred to the NIA, recognising the gravity and potential wider ramifications of the case, especially considering the involvement of the PFI, an organisation later banned for its anti-national activities. The NIA’s focused investigation not only led to the initial chargesheeting of 18 individuals but also continued its efforts to bring all those involved, directly or indirectly, to justice.
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