By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: The National Investigation Agency today submitted chargesheet against 18 accused in the controversial Panayikkulam SIMI case in the special NIA court in Kochi. One of the accused has reportedly got ready to reveal details and has become the prosecution witness. All the other 17 are charged with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The Central Home Ministry gave permission to the NIA to prosecute the accused two weeks ago. A permission of the Home Ministry was essential for prosecution as the accused are charged with the UAPA.
The prime accused in the case is PA Shaduli, hailing from Erattupetta in Kottayam. The NIA has reportedly retained the charges of sedition and conspiracy made by the police earlier against the accused.
The incident leading to the case took place on August 15, 2006, at Panayikkulam in Aluva near Kochi. A public debate and discussion on the topic ‘the role of Muslims in the freedom struggle’ was held at the Happy Auditorium at Panayikkulam. The police registered a case alleging the meeting to be a secret camp of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India. The local police investigated the case initially, and then the state ATS probed it. The NIA was handed over the case in January 2010.
Initially case was charged against all the 18 accused by the Binanipuram police in Aluva, and later 13 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 said to be among the audience at the programme.
The Kerala police, while investigating the case in the beginning, found that some of 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.
This is the third case that the NIA has submitted chargesheet in Kerala, the other two being the Kerala-Kashmir terror case and the Kalamassery bus-burning case. The Agency has completed its investigation in the Wagamon SIMI camp case and is expected to file chargesheet soon, according to reports. Investigation is reportedly going on in the Kozhikode twin blasts case.