21 jailed for running arms camp in Kerala

The NIA court in Kochi on Wednesday sentenced one person to seven years of imprisonment and 20 others to five years in a case pertaining to an arms training camp held in Kannur in 2013. All the convicted are activists of right wing Muslim outfit Popular Front of India or its political wing Social Democratic Party of India. They also have to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

The one to get seven years has been identified as Abdul Azeez. The prosecution had arraigned 22 men as accused, but one was acquitted.

According to the NIA, which took over the probe from Kerala police, the men had been engaged in training in the use of weapons and explosives. The police had raided a house at Narath village in Kannur district in April 2013, where the training was being held under the pretext of yoga classes.

The items recovered during the raid at the house included a human effigy, countrymade bombs and materials for making bombs, the NIA said.