Hathras: Arrested Kerala scribe associated with PFI, Uttar Pradesh govt tells SC

The Uttar Pradesh government has claimed before the Supreme Court that Kerala journalist Sidhique Kappan, arrested on October 5 while on way to Hathras, has been found associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI), which is a "reincarnation" of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

"Kappan is closely associated with and has been in frequent connection through social media platforms and telephonic conversations with PFI members holding various portfolio across the country namely P Koya, Abdul Mukeet, Saleem, Md Faizal, and Gulfam Hasan, most of whom have been executive members of banned terrorist organisation SIMI," the state government said.

It alleged that the investigation to date revealed that most members of the PFI were ex-office bearers of the banned SIMI organisation, and they have been in close contact with Kappan. The documents recovered during the investigation disclosed that the motive and ideology of both the organisations PFI and SIMI are corroborative in nature, it claimed.

The state government also alleged that the present habeas corpus petition by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists, New Delhi, was a proxy litigation on behalf of the organisations for which Kappan was working.

It also pointed out the petitioner-organisation, to which Kappan was secretary, itself was facing vigilance probe for embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds on the direction of Kerala HC in a PIL.

Opposing the bail application, the state government claimed if it was allowed at this stage, it would interfere with the investigation and allow the accused to indulge in similar activities and make himself unavailable to the investigating agency.

On Monday, a bench presided over by Chief Justice S A Bobde put the petition for consideration in January to enable the petitioner to file its rejoinder.

In an additional affidavit, the state government also alleged Kappan and other three co-accused were "involved in questionable financial transactions" such as co-accused Masood was being funded from PFI, the other co-accused Atiqur Rehman was being funded from Rauf Sherief from Campus Front of India, "who have received crores of funds from various national and international suspicious sources".

On Saturday, the ED detained arrested Sherief at Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram International airport.

The UP government also claimed Kappan and other co-accused were in touch with Delhi riots case accused Md Danish and Sherief and were heading towards Hathras in a pre-planned manner to execute unlawful activities and disrupt public peace by provoking caste and class conflict, after a 19-year-old SC girl had died, succumbing to injuries due to alleged gang rape.

It also said Kappan worked for the newspaper 'Tejas', closed in December 2018, was an acclaimed mouthpiece for the PFI. The newspapers' views were so extreme that it called terrorist Osama Bin Laden a martyr.