NIA court sentences 4 ISIS operatives in 'Voice of Hind' terror case

An NIA Special Court has sentenced four ISIS operatives to rigorous imprisonment of 5-6 years in the 'Voice of Hind' terror conspiracy case. The convicts pleaded guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy and various offences under UAPA and IPC.

An NIA Special Court at Rouse Avenue on Monday sentenced 4 operatives of the proscribed terrorist organisation Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in connection with the 'Voice of Hind' terror conspiracy case. This case was registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2021.

While framing of charges, the 4 convicts pleaded guilty to the charges after around 5 years of custody. Thereafter, they were convicted on September 17 and sentenced on September 28. After the conviction and sentence of 4 accsued who pleaded guilty, the trial against the remaining accused persons is pending.

Details of the Sentencing

Special NIA Judge Vikas Dhull sentenced Umar Nisar alias Qasim Khurasani, Rameez Ahmad Lone and Tanveer Ahmad Bhat to 6 years of rigorous imprisonment each for offences under sections 17, 18, 18A, 18B, 19, 38, 39 of UAPA and sections 153A and 153B of IPC. Convict Umar Nisar has also been sentenced to 6 years for the offences under section 120 B read with sections 18 and 18A of UAPA. While Afshan Parvaiz Jarabi has been sentenced to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment for the offences under section 18 (Preparation) of UAPA read with section 120B of IPC, 18 (Conspiracy), 38 of UAPA read with 120 B, 39 of UAPA read with 120B of IPC and section 153 A read with section 120 B of IPC.

The court has imposed fines of Rs 36,000 upon Umar Nisar, Rs 31,000 upon Rameez Ahmad Lone, Rs 23,000 upon Tanveer Ahmad Bhat and Rs 9,000 upon Afshan Parvaiz Jarabi, respectively.

Basis for Conviction

The accused pleaded guilty, and the Court found them guilty of criminal conspiracy and various offences under the anti-terror law UAPA and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) relating to dissemination and propagation of ISIS material, radicalisation and recruitment of youth, and furthering the activities of the proscribed terrorist organisation.

The 'Voice of Hind' Conspiracy

The NIA said that the case relates to a conspiracy hatched by ISIS to radicalise and recruit impressionable youth in India to wage violent jihad against the Indian state. ISIS terrorists operating from various conflict zones, along with ISIS cadres in India, created a network using pseudo online identities for dissemination of ISIS-related propaganda. It was alleged that the organised online campaign was supplemented by on-ground terror financing activities.

NIA had stated that the investigation revealed the involvement of cyber entities and their associates in the content creation, editing, publication and dissemination of the India-centric ISIS propaganda magazine "Sawt-al-Hind (The Voice of Hind)" through online platforms. The network was also involved in motivating and facilitating Indians for so-called "hijrat" (migration) to ISIS conflict theatres in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas.

Incriminating Evidence Recovered

The NIA said that during the investigation, voluminous incriminating documents and digital material, including PDFs of "Voice of Hind", posters of slain terrorists, radicalising literature, web links to ISIS propaganda, an ISIS-flag T-shirt, chats and audio recordings relating to weapon procurement, media, ideological, psychological warfare material, and ISIS banners and flags were recovered and seized by the NIA.

Specific Roles of the Convicts

The Court found the specific involvement of the 4 convicts in furthering the activities of ISIS. Convict Umar Nisar was found involved in dissemination and propagation of ISIS material through the 'Voice of Hind' magazine, Telegram and other online channels for radicalising and recruiting youth.

The NIA had stated that Convicts Rameez Ahmad Lone and Tanveer Ahmad Bhat were found involved in preaching ISIS ideology and radicalising and recruiting youth for the purpose of joining ISIS. Convict Afshan Parvaiz Jarabi was found involved in the publication and dissemination of articles for the 'Voice of Hind' magazine through Telegram channels and in propagating ISIS ideology and inviting youth to join ISIS.

NIA had filed the chargesheet and 4 supplementary chargesheets against a total of 8 accused persons. Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Rahul Tyagi alongwith Advocate Jatin Khatri and Amit Rohila appeared for the NIA.

The investigation agency has said that it has established the involvement of the accused persons in the activities of the ISIS 'Voice of Hind' module and their role in furthering the objectives of the proscribed terrorist organisation through online activities. (ANI)

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