By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: The Central Home Ministry permitted the NIA to prosecute 17 accused in the Panayikkulam SIMI case in Kerala. The NIA can now submit its chargesheet in its special court. The Centre’s permission was required for prosecution as the accused are charged under the UAPA.
The prime accused in the case is PA Shaduli, hailing from Erattupetta in Kottayam. The NIA has reportedly retained the charges of treason and conspiracy made by the police earlier against the accused.
The incident related to the case took place at Panayikkulam in Aluva in Ernakulam district. A public debate and discussion on the topic ‘role of Muslims in the freedom struggle’ was organized at the Happy Auditorium on the Independence Day in 2006. The police case reportedly says that the gathering was a secret meeting of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India. Initially case was charged against 18 accused by the Binanipuram police in Aluva, and later some were released for lack of evidence. The case was retained against some who were found to be former members of the SIMI. Then the case was taken up by the Kerala Anti-Terrorism Squad which re-included those released by the Aluva police. When the investigation was progressing, the case was suddenly handed over to the National Investigation Agency. When the NIA completed its investigation, Abdur Rasheed Moulvi, formerly 16th accused in the police case, was removed from the list of accused as he reportedly got ready to reveal all details related to the incident. Moulvi was among the audience at the programme.
The Kerala police, while investigating the case in the beginning, found that the accused had books taken from the library of the Jamat e Islami headquarters Hira Centre in Kozhikode. The Hira Centre was then raided by the police. The police also raided some other Muslim publications in Kozhikode.
The NIA has reportedly completed the investigation of the Wagamon SIMI camp case, according to which some members of the banned SIMI had held a meeting and terrorism camp at Wagamon, in Idukki district. The chargesheet of this case also is expected to be submitted soon. The Agency has already completed the investigation and submitted chargesheet in two cases in the state, namely the Kozhikode twin blasts case and the Kalamassery bus-burning case in which Soofiya Maudany (wife of PDP chairman Abdunnasir Maudany) is 10th accused.