The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken a significant step by filing a charge sheet against six individuals allegedly involved in promoting terrorist activities within India on behalf of the banned outfit ISIS. The accused, namely Tabish Siddiqui, Zulfikar Ali, Sharjeel Shaikh, Aakif Ateeque Nachan, Zubair Shaikh, and Adnanali Sarkar, were apprehended during NIA raids conducted in Maharashtra in July, as part of the ISIS module case.
This comprehensive 4000-page charge sheet, presented before Special NIA Judge A K Lahoti, incorporates testimony from 16 protected witnesses. According to the NIA, the six individuals are affiliated with the proscribed ISIS group and were engaged in a conspiracy to advance the organization’s terrorist objectives. Their intent was to instill fear and terror in society, posing a threat to India’s security, secular values, culture, and democratic system.
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The seized evidence included materials related to ‘Hijrah’ to Syria, as well as propaganda magazines such as ‘Voice of Hind’ and ‘Voice of Khurasan’ published by ISIS, as detailed in the NIA’s press release. Additionally, the accused were found distributing Do It Yourself (DIY) kits among their associates and fundraising to support their terrorist plans, as revealed by NIA investigations.
The recovered materials unequivocally indicate the strong connections and active involvement of the accused with ISIS, emphasizing their efforts to influence vulnerable youth in furthering the terrorist organization’s anti-India agenda.
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The case was initiated by the NIA on June 28, 2023, based on information received from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding a conspiracy by Tabish Siddiqui and others to disrupt the nation’s unity, integrity, security, and sovereignty. They were allegedly planning to wage war against the Government of India by promoting ISIS’s terrorist activities.
The ongoing investigations are continuing as per the provisions of section 173(8) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
