Two Bihar Residents Charged by NIA in Ongoing PFI Case

Patna: The NIA Special Court in Patna on Saturday sentenced six accused individuals to rigorous imprisonment and imposed fines under various penal sections in a 2016 case involving the planting of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on the railway track near Ghorasahan railway station in Bihar. The accused were involved in planting a pressure cooker IED on the railway track on the night of September 30 in an attempt to blast a passenger train coming from Narkatiaganj. Fortunately, the IED was spotted by local residents and successfully defused before it could explode. During the investigation, the local police established the involvement of the following accused: Umashankar Raut (also known as Umashankar Patel or Raju Patel), Gajendra Sharma (also known as Gajendra Thakur), Rakesh Kumar Yadav (also known as Rakesh), Mukesh Kumar Yadav (also known as Mukesh), Motilal Paswan (also known as Moti), and Ranjay Kumar Sah (also known as Ranjay). Initially, three of the accused were arrested by the local police, while two others were nabbed later by the NIA on different occasions after it took over the probe in January 2017. The sixth accused surrendered in February 2017. The chargesheet against all accused was filed by the NIA in July 2017. On September 24, 2024, the NIA Court found the accused guilty. Today, the court announced the sentences against them under relevant sections of the IPC, UA(P) Act, Explosive Substances Act, and Railway Act. The sentences pronounced by the court range from 5 to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment along with fines, which will run concurrently, with an extension of 3 months of imprisonment in case of non payment of fines.

PATNA – The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a Supplementary Chargesheet on Friday (12th January) against two individuals implicated in the Popular Front of India (PFI) case, pertaining to the banned outfit’s illicit and anti-national activities.

The charged individuals, identified as Md. Yaqub Khan @ Sultan @ Usman and Shahid Reza, both residents of East Champaran district in Bihar, face charges under various sections of the IPC, Arms Act, and UA(P)A.

A total of 17 individuals, including the two charged on this day, have been arrested in connection with the case. Initially registered by the Bihar Police against 26 individuals, the case was later re-registered by the NIA in July 2022.

Earlier, the NIA had charged 14 persons in the case, exposing a conspiracy by banned PFI cadres to instill fear and terror by fueling religious animosity among members of different faiths and groups. The conspiracy aimed to disrupt India’s peace and communal harmony, fostering disaffection against the nation, aligning with the PFI’s ideology of violent extremism and aspirations to establish Islamic rule in India by 2047.

Investigations in the case have unveiled that Md Yaqub Khan @ Sultan @ Usman was part of a PFI group recruited and trained for physical combat and violence. Having undergone clandestine training in martial arts and the use of weapons like knives, rods, choppers, swords, and firearms for inflicting harm and causing fatalities, Yaqub Khan played a key role in recruiting PFI cadres, organizing training camps, and using social media to endorse PFI’s activities and propagate its ideology. An expert Arms Trainer, Yaqub Khan conducted numerous training sessions to further the banned outfit’s aggressive and anti-India violent agenda.

In January 2023, when ‘Ram Shilas’ were being transported to Ayodhya via Mehsi region of East Champaran, Yaqub Khan shared a video of the event on social media, appealing to support the reconstruction of Babri Masjid instead of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Facing strong opposition and social media trolling, he arranged arms and ammunition to attack a youth from a particular community, seeking revenge and fostering communal hatred in response to comments on his communal post.

NIA’s timely intervention led to Yaqub’s arrest, thwarting his plans to create terror and disturb communal harmony. The agency seized prohibited firearms, ammunition, swords, and knives concealed by Yaqub with the help of his associate Shahid, intending to carry out unlawful and violent acts for the PFI. Subsequently, Shahid was also taken into custody.

Investigations further revealed that these PFI cadres were being funded from abroad, with funds channeled through a syndicate based in Karnataka and Kerala.