UP govt to SC: Documents found from Kappan's home reveals PFI is reincarnation of SIMI

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has informed the Supreme Court that documents found during searches from the home of the arrested Kerala based journalist Sidhique Kappan disclose crucial information/journey of the very formation of PFI (Popular Front of India) as a reincarnation of SIMI after it being banned.

In an additional affidavit, Department of Home Affairs, Uttar Pradesh, citing several incriminating documents found from Kappan's house, said: "These documents disclose crucial information/journey of the very formation of PFI (Popular Front of India) as a reincarnation of SIMI after it being banned, also that motive and ideology of both the organizations - PFI and SIMI - are corroborative in nature." The search operation was conducted on November 11, after obtaining due remand orders from the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mathura.

The state government said the detailed investigation till date in the matter points that most members of the PFI who are ex-office bearers of banned organization SIMI have been in close intimacy with Kappan. "Kappan is closely associated and has been frequent connection through social media portals and telephonic conversations with PFI members holding various portfolios across the country most of whom have also been executive members of banned Terrorist organization SIMI", said the affidavit.

The UP government submitted the incriminating facts and documents disclosing the entire chain of events and associated links of Kappan, PFI, and its office bearers, banned organization SIMI and Thejas are not being disclosed being an integral part of the pending investigation. The government said Kappan and other three accused are directly associated with PFI, which has been involved in anti-national activities and keeping links with terror outfits like ISIS.

Also, he was constantly in touch with Delhi riots accused and was allegedly heading towards Hathras in a pre-planned manner to execute unlawful activities and to disrupt public peace, the Uttar Pradesh government has informed the Supreme Court.

The affidavit said investigation has revealed that Kappan and his co-accused were mobilized towards Hathras on the instructions of Md. Danish, who is chargesheeted accused in the February Delhi riots, and Rauf Sherief, General Secretary of CFI was facilitating the movement.

ED on Saturday detained PFI youth leader Sherief and prevented him from leaving country. He was detained from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram International airport when he was trying to flee from country, as he was wanted in a money laundering case by ED as well as by the UP Police for the Hathras case. "It is pertinent to mention that the Delhi riots accused Md. Danish and Rauf Sherief were continuously in touch with accused Sidhique Kappan and all other co-accused through cell phones which were recovered by police from the vehicleby accused on way to Hathras on October 5", said the affidavit.

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will hear in the third week of January the plea of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) challenging the arrest of Kappan, when he was on his way to Hathras where a young Dalit woman had died after allegedly being gang-raped.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian granted opportunity to the journalists' association to file its response to the additional affidavit of the UP government.