PFI was trying to procure arms from neighbouring countries: NIA counsel

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a Delhi court that the Popular Front of India was trying to procure arms from the neighbouring countries and give arms training to its cadres, a special public prosecutor of the agency has said.

The submissions were made before Special Judge (NIA) Prashant Sharma on Saturday, who was hearing arguments on charges against 20 accused Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders. Mediapersons were not allowed to cover the in-camera court proceedings.

Speaking to reporters outside the court on Saturday, NIA’s special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi said he argued before the court that PFI leaders were trying to procure arms from neighbouring countries and give arms training to its cadres. On the allegations against the PFI leaders, Tyagi said, “They were also sending their cadres to Syria to learn tactics from ISIS so that they could be implemented in India. They organised specific hit squads which were keeping a list of BJP, RSS and VHP leaders, and conducting surveillance on them.”

The Prosecutor alleged that the group was formed with the motive of radicalising the youth. “The case against the PFI and its leadership is that they formed the organisation to radicalise Muslim youth with a view to establishing a caliphate in India and to establish Sharia law,” Tyagi said.

“They were organising camps, giving them arms training, radicalising them, and training them to wage ‘Jihad’ against India, for which they were collecting funds,” the prosecutor said, adding that these submissions were made before the court. The court has posted the matter for further proceedings on December 23. In September 2022, the Central Government banned the PFI and several of its associates for five years under a stringent anti-terror law, accusing them of having “links” with global terror groups such as ISIS.