Sami Ahmad
PATNA—Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation has alleged that NIA (National Investigation Agency) is spreading terror in Bihar. In a statement released on Friday, CPI-ML’s state secretary, Kunal said that the agency is also creating a negative image of Muslims among common people, adding that this would never be accepted. NIA recently conducted its second round of raids in Bihar regarding the alleged anti-India activities of PFI and SDPI on Thursday.
This party, with 12 MLAs in Bihar, has also urged the Bihar government and Grand Alliance allies to speak not only against the CBI and ED but also against the raids being conducted by the NIA. It demanded that the Bihar government should check the actions of the NIA.
CPI-ML is one political organization that has consistently questioned the charges of ‘anti-national’ activities, first by the Phulwari Sharif, Patna police, and then by the NIA. Human rights organization People’s Union for Civil Liberties had also questioned the police action in this alleged case of terror activities in Phulwari Sharif and the vilification of Muslims by a section of the media.
NIA frames innocents in Phulwari Sharif
Phulwari Sharif’s CPI-ML Gopal Ravidas has also alleged that the police and NIA have framed innocent people, and the BJP is using this to whip up communal disharmony in the area. A team of CPI-ML had also met the family members of the accused.
It may be mentioned here that this case started on July 12 this year when two persons were booked by the local police for their alleged anti-national activities when Prime Minister was visiting Patna. In the FIR related to this case, there were 26 persons named for their alleged connection with PFI and SDPI. Two more persons were arrested at that time.
NIA books mentally ill in terror case
In the second FIR registered on July 14, One Marghoob Ahmad Danish was booked for allegedly running the anti-India WhatsApp group ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’. The family of Marghoob claimed that Marghoob was going through psychiatric treatment at AIIMS, Patna, but the police did not pay heed to it and sent him to jail.
NIA said that the agency conducted searches at multiple locations in Bihar, Tamilnadu & Karnataka, in the PFI Conspiracy case of Patna, Bihar (RC-31/2022/NIA/DLI) on September 8. It “conducted searches at 20 locations linked with the accused and suspects in the nine districts of Bihar, including Nalanda, Katihar, Arariya, Madhubani, Patna, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Saran.“
It also informed about searches outside Bihar on the same day “in Shiv Ganga district in Tamilnadu and South Kannada district in Karnataka in the case about the involvement of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in anti-national activities.”
According to the website of NIA, “The case was initially registered as FIR No 827/2022 dated 12.07.2022 at PS Phulwari Sharif, Distt- Patna, Bihar and re-registered by NIA on 22.07.2022. 2. During the searches conducted today at the premises of the accused and suspects, incriminating materials, including digital devices and documents, have been seized.”
Raids done at the behest of the Central govt to vilify Muslims & for religious polarization: CPI-ML
CPI-ML state secretary Kunal condemned the raids at the places related to the people attached to PFI and SDPI and said, “This is being done at the behest of the central government.” He alleged that by this, BJP members want to spread hatred against Muslims. By declaring them terrorists and anti-nationals, they are trying to create religious polarization to win the Lok Sabha election again. He termed this as “a complete exercise under BJP’s mission 2024.”
Mr. Kunal said that they have witnessed that in the Phulwari Sharif case, innocent people were targeted and sent to jail, and then the entire Phulwari and the Muslim community were vilified.
Arbitrary style of NIA’s functioning
He said the working style of the NIA is arbitrary, and their actions are not known to the local administration. He alleged, “NIA’s arbitrary activities are creating confusion among common people.”
CPI-ML has directed its district offices to send a report about NIA’s raids immediately so that a party delegation could meet chief minister Nitish Kumar.
NIA working at the behest of its ‘political masters’: alleges PFI
In a statement released on Twitter, Popular Front of India’s general secretary said that their North East Zonal secretary Muhammad Rosland had done nothing wrong other than visiting Bihar as part of the organization’s activities. But, he added, “The raid is the continuation of the harassment started by the NIA in July in Bihar against the organisation’s leaders and members.”
He alleged that NIA’s quick takeover of the inquiry validates that the case was another ploy to witch-hunt Popular Front. He demanded that NIA should stop as ‘the pawns of the political masters’. He asserted that PFI had the strength to face those politically motivated cases on the streets and in the court of law.
In a seven-page fact-finding report of PUCL released on August 18, the members of the FF team concluded, “Prima facie it appeared to the team that there was not any terror activity being undertaken at the places visited by us. It is highly impractical to claim that arms training was given in such a highly populated area without anyone else noticing, hearing or seeing it.”
PUCL report said, “It appears to us that the whole incident is being used to vitiate and polarize the Hindu and Muslim communities and create fear in their minds.”
PUCL also questioned the timing of the arrests at the time of the Prime Minister’s visit, which it said “is also an important aspect of the whole incident and the same has been mentioned in the Police and NIA’s FIR.”
PUCLhad objected to the coverage of this case by a section of media. It said, “The role of the media has been to vilify the Muslim community by reporting irresponsibly and indulging in red-top journalism. The use of the words and phrases such as ‘Terror Module’, “Aatank ki Phulwari” etc., despite the fact the NIA FIR has not slapped UAPA sections, rather simply reiterated the police FIR. The investigation being in such an early stage, it is highly irresponsible for the media to demonize a community by leading such stories and headlines. Several incorrect stories were reported, such as UAPA charges against the accused.”
[…] This story was originally published in indiatomorrow.net . Read the full story here […]