Published Sep 09, 2022 | 12:05 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 09, 2022 | 12:06 AM
he NIA sleuths on Thursday raided the residence of Riyaz Farangipet, the national secretary of the SDPI. (Supplied)
“NIA go back”, “go back NIA”. These were the slogans raised by dozens of people gathered outside Riyaz Farangipet’s house in the morning of Thursday, 8 September, in the Dakshin Kannada of Karnataka. The protest came even as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader’s residence.
The NIA sleuths on Thursday raided the residence of Farangipet, the national secretary of the SDPI.
Sources said the NIA raids were in connection with his alleged involvement in the Phulwari Sharif terror module case in Bihar.
On the ground, however, supporters and his family members cried foul, on the suspicion that he was being raided in connection with the Praveen Nettaru murder case.
As news of the NIA’s searches at the SDPI leader’s house spread, party functionaries gathered in front of Farangipet’s house on BC Road in the Perla village in the Bantval taluk and started sloganeering.
As the crowds swelled, NIA sleuths had to call in the local police for security.
After the local cops provided bandobast, searches were carried out late into the evening. Farangipet’s mobile phone was also seized.
Sources said that the raids were conducted as a follow-up of certain information provided by two accused — Akhtar Parvez and Mohammed Jalaluddin — who were arrested by the Patna Police in Bihar in connection with the Phulwari Sharif case.
Scenes outside Riyaz’s house on Thursday. (Supplied)
The protests over the NIA raids came at a time when Muslim community leaders in Dakshin Kannada had already been alleging bias and conspiracy.
On Tuesday, NIA sleuths conducted searches at multiple locations in three districts of Karnataka in connection with the killing of Praveen Nettaru in the Dakshina Kannada district. Officials conducted searches at 33 locations in Mysuru, Kodagu, and Dakshina Kannada.
The case was initially registered at the Bellare police station in the Dakshina Kannada district on 27 July, and was re-registered by the NIA on 4 August.
According to the NIA, the investigation revealed that the accused — active members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) — had planned and committed the murder of Praveen Nettaru as part of a larger conspiracy to strike terror amongst the members of a section of society.
During the searches conducted on Tuesday at the premises of the accused and suspects, the NIA sleuths seized digital devices, used ammunition, improvised arms, cash, incriminating documents, pamphlets, and literature.
Soon after the NIA raids across Karnataka, both PFI and SDPI leaders took objection to what they deemed was the “targeting of Muslims”.
The PFI’s Karnataka secretary AK Ashraf told reporters: “The BJP is misusing Central agencies such as the NIA to their whims and fancies. When at least than two Muslim youths are killed by functionaries of the Sangh Parivar and the accused were also arrested, why were those cases not handed over to the NIA?”
Ashraf added: “Stating that the PFI members have links with the banned SIMI terror module, they are targeting the entire Muslim community as terrorists.”
