Ibrahim Puthanathani, the national coordinator of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), who is alleged to be responsible for arms training, was charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Investigations revealed that PFI cadres routinely received weapons training while attending physical education classes (PE) in various regions of India.
For the proscribed group, Ibrahim Puthanathani allegedly ran weapons training camps in several states and created the curriculum for advanced physical and weapons training courses. According to sources familiar with the details of the investigation, Ibrahim travels throughout the country to organize and oversee such weapons training camps. He is accused of violating Sections 13, 18, 18A and 18B of the UAPA and Sections 120B, 121A, 122 and 153A of the IPC.
In addition, the NIA has filed charges against the PFI as an organization under sections 38 and 39 of the UAPA. This comes after members of the National Executive Council (NEC) and senior PFI cadres were named in an indictment released by the NIA on March 18. In its fifth indictment in the case, the central investigative agency charged 19 people linked to the PFI, including 12 NEC members, founding members and senior cadres.
The NIA revealed the caliphate’s nefarious plan to establish itself in India by 2047 in four phases, including arming cadres and infiltrating the police and judicial systems. Investigations revealed that the organization advocated an Islamic caliphate under the guise of promoting racial harmony, inter-group peace, and care for minorities and weaker groups.
The NEC, the PFI’s highest decision-making body, had developed a well-planned strategy to wage large-scale war against the Indian government by recruiting and arming radicalized Muslim men who swore allegiance to the group through an oath of secrecy and loyalty. To build an army of radicalized and fundamentalist militia, these men were trained in the use of lethal weapons at a series of training facilities.