Hand Chop – NIA unearth wider conspiracy

The National Investigation Agency has unearthed a “larger conspiracy” involving “anti-national” activities of the terrorist organisation , Popular Front of India (PFI), in the case related to the ‘hand chopping ,attack on Kerala professor T.J. Joseph in 2010. On July 4, 2010, at Muvattupuzha , Joseph, a professor of Malayalam at Newman College, Thodupuzha, had his hand chopped off at the wrist on allegation of blasphemy by PFI terrorists.

27 terrorists are still absconding . Hideouts for them are arranged by various other Jihadi organisations like  ‘Manitha neethi pasarai’ and ‘Karnataka Dignity Forum’. Popular front of India- The Jihadi organisation was formed by merging Kerala based NDF and other similar organisations in South India.

Foreign money is said to be the main source of finance for the Anti National activities of these Jihadi organisations. Their links with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Al Qaeda and Taliban is also now under scanner. Earlier 54 Terrorists were convicted in this case following Keraka Police investigation. The case has been handed out to NIA as it involves inter state and International Jihadi conspiracy.

Prof attack accused getting inter-state help: NIA
VR Jayaraj | Kochi – Daily Pioneer

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday told the Special CBI Court in Kochi that the 27 absconding accused in the case relating to the Taliban-model attack on Prof TJ Joseph of Muvattupuzha, Kerala were getting help from Muslim organizations outside the State. The court gave permission to the agency for follow-up probe in the case which was first investigated by a special team of the Kerala Police.

The NIA told the court that the focus of the investigations would be on the three Muslim organizations functioning in Chennai and Thirunalveli in Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad, which had been helping the accused. All the 54 accused in the case were activists of the Islamist organization, Popular Front of Indian (PFI), and its political wing SDPI.

The agency also submitted in the court that the accused Islamists had got foreign funds for their operations. It was in this context a follow-up probe had become necessary, it said. The Islamists had cut off the right hand of Prof Joseph of Church-run Newman College of Thodupuzha on July 4 last year for preparing a question paper that allegedly blasphemed Prophet Muhammad.

The investigations by the NIA in Kerala are being monitored by its regional office in Hyderabad. It has already got into contact with top police officials in Chennai, Coimbatore, Thirunalveli, Madurai and Hyderabad for information on the Muslim outfits and for tracking down the 27 absconding accused.

The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police had earlier found that some of the accused in the case had connections with certain organizations in these cities in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The NIA said that the Tamil Nadu Police Department had already agreed to provide all necessary assistance to the agency.

The NIA has learned that activists of the Popular Front and the SDPI accused in the case had got foreign funds through MK Nasser, prime accused in the case and key conspirator behind the attack on Prof Joseph. Establishing the role of foreign funds in the crime is one of the main tasks of the agency.

The NIA’s Hyderabad office, its top officials in Delhi and the Union Home Department have held already several rounds of discussions on the aspects to be concentrated on in the follow-up probe. The Centre’s instruction to the agency is to find out the details of the connections between the accused and the Muslim outfits working outside Kerala.

The NIA had formally filed the FIR in the case at the Special CBI Court in Kochi on April 8 naming 54 persons as accused as part of the preparatory legal procedures for launching the follow-up investigation into the case. The Kerala Police had filed the chargesheet in the case on January 14 naming the same 54 persons as accused.

The Kerala Police also had found that the accused had dubious overseas connections and had suspicious sources of funds. The Union Home Ministry had instructed the NIA to take over the case on an appeal from the Kerala Government as the State police were not competent to go into such aspects.

Though the Kerala Police had found 54 Islamists as accused, their chargesheet was only against 27, all of whom were charged with anti-national activities, criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly for illegal activities, incitement of religious hatred and other offences. They had said that the accused had indulged in extremist activities with the intention of creating anarchy by destroying the peace prevailing in the society.

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