Kannur Terrorist Training Camp Case: 21 Popular Front Terrorists Indicted

Kochi: The special NIA court has convicted the 21 accused in the Narath arms training camp case, to be guilty.
The first accused Abdul Azeez has been sentenced to seven years in prison, while accused number second to 21 have been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. The court has acquitted the accused number 22, Kamaruddin.

An additional charge of inciting communal tension has been included against first accused Abdul Azeez.
All 21 accused have been slapped with a fine of Rs 5,000, failing which, they will ave to undergo an additional imprisonment of six months. The court has agreed to all the charges levelled by the NIA.

Those accused have been charged by the special NIA Courtwith criminal conspiracy, gathering together for anti- national activities, attempting to foment communal violence between religious groups, conducting training camps with arms etc.
As per the case, a group of Popular Front of India activists organised an arms training camp at Narath in Kannur on 23 April, 2013. The activists of Popular Front and SDPI conducted an arms training camp in a building owned by Thanal Charitable Trust from April 23, 2013, with the intent of causing a riot.

The case falls into the genre of that having concluded in the shortest period of time by NIA, among the cases investigated in Kerala. The prosecution had argued that the accused need not be shown any kind of leniency for being part of terror related cases.

The trial had began with the examination of sub-inspector Surendran Kallyadan who had raided the secret arms training camp at Narath. Police had also taken into custody 22 persons, who were part of this camp. The NIA in its chargsheet stated that there was a gathering of persons who were undertaking an arms training camp. It was also stated that one of the accused persons had links with the Indian Mujahideen and there were fund transfers between bank accounts to substantiate this claim. The police found that the accused had procured fake SIM cards and foreign account details of Sanaulla Shabandri, who is a suspected member of the Indian Mujahideen (IM).

The PFI had, however, denied these allegations and even said that they were practising yoga. Further they also alleged that the police may have planted the arms at the spot just to fix them. During the raids that were conducted the police managed to arrest 21 persons.