NIA files charge sheet against two IS operatives in Karnataka
New Delhi, Mar 17: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against two alleged Islamic State operatives who were found involved in over two dozen incidents of arson and sabotage, including burning of the national flag in Karnataka, an official said Friday.
Maaz Muneer Ahmad (23) and Syed Yasin (22) of Shivamogga have been charged in a special court under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.
The official said the case relates to a conspiracy hatched to further the activities of the banned Islamic State terror group by carrying out acts of arson, sabotage and violence in Karnataka. Further investigations against six other arrested accused are in progress.
“Ahmad and Yasin, both B Tech graduates, had been radicalised and motivated by an online foreign-based handler to target public and private properties, including warehouses, liquor outlets, hardware shops, vehicles and properties belonging to citizens belonging to a particular community. In furtherance of a conspiracy hatched by the Islamic State, they had committed over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage,” the spokesperson said.
The NIA said the level of their commitment is evident from their activities.
“Both of them went to Agumbe and Varahi river backwaters forest area of Shivamogga district for trekking and recce for hideouts. They procured explosives and prepared to fabricate an IED. Yasin conducted a trial explosion of one of the IEDs at the Varahi river bank in Shivamogga. He also burnt a national flag and recorded a video to establish his anti-India credentials,” the spokesperson said.
The official said the two terror operatives were being paid in cryptocurrencies by their online handler by fund transfers from abroad.
“Investigations have revealed that Ahmad received crypto equivalent to around Rs 1.5 lakh from the online handler into accounts of his friends, whereas Yasin received Rs 62 K into the account of a friend,” the spokesperson said.
As part of the larger IS conspiracy, the NIA said another accused in the case Mohamed Shariq had planned to carry out an IED blast at Kadri Temple, Mangaluru on November 19 last year but the device had exploded prematurely due to timer malfunction, which averted a “potential disaster”.
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Shivakumar hosts gala dinner to mark 6 years as Karnataka Congress chief
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday threw a dinner party at a five-star hotel in the city to celebrate the completion of six years as the Congress state president.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his cabinet colleagues and many MLAs attended the dinner party.
As Shivakumar welcomed the CM on his arrival, the latter greeted him with a bouquet and congratulated him for completing six years as the KPCC president.
Shivakumar was appointed as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president on March 11, 2020.
He assumed the charge when the state unit was running into rough weather.
The party had lost the assembly election after five years of Congress rule from 2013 to 2018. In the face of a hung assembly, it formed a coalition government with Janata Dal (Secular), led by its ally’s second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy.
The government lasted only for a year from May 2018 to June 2019. After the fall of the coalition government, BJP led by B S Yediyurappa came to power.
Following the drubbing in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao had resigned as the leader of the Congress Legislative Party and Congress state president respectively.
Displaying his organisational skills, Shivakumar raised the party cadres. The Congress under his leadership defeated the ruling BJP with a thumping majority in 2023 assembly election by winning 134 seats in 224-member House.
Presently, the Congress government has a strength of 140 MLAs, including the support of independents.
The Congress also managed to raise its number from just one seat from Karnataka in 2019 Lok Sabha election to nine MPs in 2024.
There has been a power tussle going on between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. However, the two leaders often put up a united face.
