PFI recruits underwent 3-stage training programme: NIA chargesheet

Once satisfied, PFI ideologues would take the new recruits to ‘Second Class’. “Later the accused would further radicalise and provoke them (recruits) with communally hateful speeches against the Indian government and every other group or organisation which opposes the extremist and Jihadi ideology of PFI. To substantiate their theory, they cited the incidents of different communal riots, Babri Masjid demolition and various other incidents to invoke fear and insecurity in the minds of impressionable Muslim youth and portray the Indian government and people of non-Muslim communities in a bad light,” the chargesheet added.

According to NIA, the ‘Third Class’ is for those who have already attended the first two classes and complied with the instructions given to them. “During this period, they are taught about the importance of the organisation… This functions like a Shura Council under Shariat Law and they are asked to be faithful to the organisation and its leaders. They are also asked to be ready to sacrifice everything, including family and their own life, for the organisation so that after death they will get entry into paradise. An oath called ‘Bayat’ is taken by holding the hand of the chairman or his representative to this effect,” the chargesheet said.

One of the arrested men, identified as Mohammed Yusuf has recorded his statement before the magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC. Yusuf, a lawyer, said he was a member of the Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP) of Tamil Nadu from 2001 till its merger with the National Development Front (NDF) of Kerala and Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) to form PFI in 2006. “Yusuf said the national executive council is the top decision-making body in PFI. To achieve its objectives – freedom, justice and security of the Muslim community – PFI launched various social welfare schemes, but these were the front face to hide their anti-national and violent terrorist activities,” the chargesheet said.

“Advocate Yusuf also said that the real objective of PFI was to overthrow the democratically elected government and replace it with a Shariat-based social order for converting India into an Islamic nation. To achieve their objective, the PFI leadership was also providing basic and advanced-level physical efficiency training to its cadres in different states across India,” it added.

In his statement, Yusuf also claimed that during the basic and advanced-level PE training, cadres were taught about warm-up, stretching exercises, Yoga poses, and different types of kicks and punches for self-defence. “The participants in these exercises are also trained in the use of easy-to-wield weapons such as sticks, knife and sickle to kill a person by attacking his vulnerable body parts. Usually, the basic training course continues for five days, while the advance-level training was given for a period of six months to one year, during which the participants were trained in the defensive and offensive forms of martial arts as well as the use of weapons for self-defence and to attack vulnerable persons during mob violence,” according to the chargesheet.

“Yusuf also said that those PFI cadres who successfully completed the advanced training course were inducted into the hit squads or service teams of PFI. They operated at the district level under the direct supervision of PFI’s district president. Members of PFI’s service teams were tasked to identify and target the local area leaders of other organisations who oppose the activities of PFI. For organising these training camps across India and for purchase of weapons to carry out murders of the identified persons, the necessary funding is arranged by the NEC members in cash as well as bank transfers,” the chargesheet said.

The investigating officer said in the chargesheet the PFI cadres have been involved in a series of murders, including those of leaders of organisations who are at variance with PFI on religious ideas. College professor T J Joseph’s hand chopping in Kerala (2010), Hindu Munnani activist Sashi Kumar’s murder in Tamil Nadu (2016), RSS leader Rudresh’s murder in Bengaluru (2016), the Ramalingam murder case in Tamil Nadu (2019), RSS worker Sanjith murder in Kerala (2021), RSS office-bearer Srinivasan murder in Kerala (2022), and RSS member Praveen Nettaru murder in the same year in Karnataka are some of the crimes committed by PFI cadres, the chargesheet said.