Opposing the bail plea of Kerala-based journalist Siddiqui Kappan, who was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police below the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967, he informed the Supreme Court that “investigation has revealed that the petitioner is PFI (Popular Front of India)”. )” and was even “suggested” to one of the two “hit squad” members of the PFI who had been arrested with explosives in Lucknow in February final 12 months.
In an affidavit filed within the prime court docket on August 29 in response to a discover on Kappan’s plea, the UP Police Special Task Force (STF), which is probing the matter, stated Ansad Badruddin, “a close associate” of Kappan , and “one Firoz (both co-accused) was arrested with explosives in Lucknow”, he stated, including that they had been “hit squads” of the PFI, who had been referred to as Rauf Sharif (National General Secretary of CFI, pupil wing of PFI) and Kamal was funded by KP. and was suggested by the petitioner who was a “think tank” of the PFI, and had “directed them to target Hindu organisations…”
The Enforcement Directorate claimed, “Sharif was discovered to be the principle fundraiser and cash launderer of the CFI, who accessed Sharif’s account… [rupees] Money was transferred from overseas to Sharif’s account after which funneled into unlawful and terrorist actions in India. The whole cash transaction particulars got in Sharif’s interrogation; How it was laundry and what terrorist/unlawful acts it was used for. One such cash path was the cash transferred to co-accused Ateeq-ur-Rehman on 05.10.2020 for hiring a cab to take the CFI delegation to Hathras.
Kappan and three others, together with the motive force of his car, had been arrested in Mathura on October 5, 2020, whereas they had been on their solution to Hathras, the place a Dalit lady was allegedly gang-raped to loss of life. He was booked below UAPA and on expenses of sedition.
Kappan had claimed that he was employed in an online portal ‘Azimukham’, which had “deputed” him to go to Hathras to report the incident, however the STF tried to refute that, saying “Azimukham’s Editor’s assertion…nowhere does the stated publication depute the petitioner to cowl the Hathras incident; it solely states that the petitioner despatched a WhatsApp message to the workplace on 5.10.2022 at 12.10 am That he was going to Hathras.
It added that “Furthermore, the official Twitter handle of CFI tweeted in February 2021: “Campus Front Delegation was arrested earlier on the way in which to Hathras and falsely charged with false legal guidelines…”
The STF additionally accused him of concealing information in his bail plea.
It stated, Kappan had acknowledged that he was “employed” in Saudi Arabia from 2002-2011, and had give up the job in 2011 and returned to Kerala the place he had “an opportunity to join as sub-editor of Thejas newspaper in Kozhikode”. choice chosen”. , but did not disclose that even in Saudi, “he was a reporter for the Gulf Thejas Daily, Jeddah…”
It stated that “Thejas is a Malayalam language mouthpiece of the PFI…” and “was forced to shut down in India in 2018 (including an independent committee appointed by the Kerala High Court) that the newspaper’s coverage was aimed at creating religious discord. Had to do “
The STF stated that opposite to Kappan’s declare that he didn’t have an id card of Thejas, however solely his Press Club of India card when he was arrested, “four IDs were confiscated from him, two of which belonged to Thejas Daily”. One was from Delhi. Union of Journalists (which itself described the group of the petitioner as Thejas Daily) and a Press Club of India.
It stated, “Kappan conveniently brushes up on the fact that when he was arrested, he was traveling with people who had been named as accused in cases of previous riots… traveling with persons accused of “. The affidavit stated that he was not in a position to clarify it satisfactorily.
The STF stated that it has come to the fore within the investigation that he was truly a part of the PFI/CFI delegation to fulfill the household of the Hathras sufferer and incite discord and unfold terror. Investigation has revealed that the stated delegation was despatched to Hathras on the directions of co-accused Rauf Sharif, who additionally supplied funds for the go to.
The STF stated it seized three units of 17-page pamphlets from the automobile through which Kappan and others had been touring. “An overview of the pamphlet will demonstrate that it is nothing more than ‘Riot 101’ for rioters”, educating them find out how to, inter alia, conceal themselves from the police, together with collaborating in riots. “In” to determine the place you are rioting.
The affidavit additionally refuted the declare of getting cash in Kappan’s account. It reported that she claimed that Rs 25,000 deposited in her account on September 15, 2020, was “money deposited by her which she had saved for building a house” and Rs 20,000 deposited on October 4, 2020, “That was money that was borrowed by friends and returned”.
“However, in his supplementary reply before the High Court (which rejected his bail plea), the petitioner stated that “the alleged payments made to the applicant were the wages paid for working in Thejas Daily,” the STF affidavit stated. are associated to. “Thus, there is a clear contradiction in the petitioner’s own version of the source of the said funds”.
The STF additionally stated that 55 witnesses, together with 11 public witnesses, are to be examined within the case and there’s a severe and credible menace to the lives of those witnesses, who’re already being focused and trolled on-line for giving proof. He goes. towards the petitioner”.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
