The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted the 18th accused and filed additional charges against five others in a 2023 Madhya Pradesh terror conspiracy case linked with the proscribed Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) terror organisation.
The anti-terror agency filed the first supplementary chargesheet on Thursday in the case before the NIA Special Court at Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). With this, a total of 18 accused have so far been chargesheeted in the HuT conspiracy case. The original chargesheet was filed against 17 accused on November 4, 2023.
The supplementary chargesheet named Mohsin Khan alias Dawood, Mohammad Alam, Misbah-ul-Hasan, Yasir Khan, Syed Danish Ali and Mohammad Shahrukh for their involvement in a terrorist act involving the burning of a police officer’s car on the directives of their foreign handler.
NIA said while Mohsin has been freshly charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code, additional provisions of the UA (P) Act and IPC have been invoked against the other five accused, who had been charged in the original chargesheet.
The case was originally registered in May 2023 by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), Bhopal, based on information that HuT members were clandestinely recruiting Muslim youth in Madhya Pradesh and other parts of India to overthrow the democratically elected Central government and establish a Sharia-based Caliphate.
Secret meetings were organised in the guise of religious gatherings (Dars) to spread anti-democratic ideology, promote communal hatred, and indoctrinate youth into committing acts of violent jihad. “The group also undertook physical training and combat-style exercises to prepare themselves for future violent acts, as per investigation.”
NIA further said it is continuing with its investigation into the larger conspiracy of HuT, and to track the absconding members, sympathisers and overseas handlers with the aim to dismantle the terror outfit’s anti-India organisational and financial structures.
(With inputs from ANI)
