The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday (December 20) informed a Delhi court that leaders of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) made attempts to procure arms from neighbouring countries and were actively involved in training their cadres in the use of weapons, as part of a broader conspiracy to carry out violent activities in India.
The disclosure was made during an in-camera hearing before Special Judge (NIA) Prashant Sharma, who was hearing the case related to charges framed against 20 accused PFI leaders. The arguments were presented by NIA’s Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi, who later briefed mediapersons outside the courtroom.
According to Tyagi, the investigation has revealed that PFI functionaries were not only exploring arms procurement routes across India’s borders but were also attempting to build an organised and trained militant network within the country. “The accused were trying to procure arms from neighbouring countries and provide arms training to their members,” the prosecutor said.
The NIA further alleged that PFI had sent some of its members to Syria with the objective of gaining tactical and operational knowledge from the terror outfit Islamic State (ISIS). “They were sent abroad to learn the tactics used by ISIS, which were intended to be replicated in India,” Tyagi said, adding that the agency has placed documentary and digital evidence before the court to support its claims.
As per the prosecution, the outfit had also constituted specific “hit squads” tasked with conducting surveillance on leaders and members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). These teams, the NIA alleged, were part of a planned strategy to carry out targeted attacks and create fear.
The agency accused the organisation of being formed with the explicit objective of radicalising Muslim youth to establish a caliphate and impose Sharia law in India. Tyagi told the court that PFI had been organising secret camps across multiple states to indoctrinate and radicalise young recruits, provide arms training, and prepare them to wage what the agency described as “jihad” against the Indian state.
The NIA also claimed that the organisation was involved in systematic fundraising to finance its activities, including training programmes, travel of cadres, and procurement of arms and equipment. These funds, the agency alleged, were raised through both legal and illegal channels, and were carefully routed to avoid detection.
The case is being heard under provisions of stringent anti-terror laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The prosecution argued that the scale, planning and intent behind the activities of the accused clearly established PFI as an organisation engaged in terrorist acts and conspiracies against the sovereignty and integrity of India.
The court has listed the matter for further hearing on December 23.
It may be recalled that in September 2022, the Central government banned the Popular Front of India and several of its affiliated organisations for a period of five years under the UAPA. The ban order cited the group’s alleged links with global terror organisations such as ISIS, its involvement in violent activities, and its role in radicalisation and terror financing.
Since the ban, the NIA and other central agencies have conducted multiple raids and arrests across the country as part of a nationwide crackdown on the outfit. The present case is one of the key prosecutions aimed at establishing the organisational structure, international linkages and operational capabilities of the banned group.
The court is expected to continue hearing detailed arguments from both the prosecution and the defence in the coming days, as the trial progresses in one of the most significant terror-related cases involving the now-banned PFI.
