NIA conducts searches in Tamil Nadu; 1 held over social media posts promoting extremism

The NIA conducted searches at two locations in Tamil Nadu and arrested an accused in connection with a case relating to incriminating Facebook posts by an extremist advocating the ideology of the Islamic State and fundamentalist organisation Hizb-Ut-Tahrir, an official said on Friday.

Bava Bahrudeen of Thiruvarur district was arrested by the NIA on Thursday, the official of the premier investigation agency said.

The case, registered in Madurai, pertains to Mohammed Iqbal using his Facebook account “Thoonga Vizhigal Rendu is in Kazimar Street” to upload posts that denigrated a particular community and fomented communal disharmony among different religions in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, he said.

Iqbal conspired with others including Bahrudeen, in the name of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, to re-establish the Islamic State and implement Sharia globally including in India, the official said.

In furtherance of this conspiracy, they had participated in closed-door ‘bayans’ (meetings) and created multiple accounts on various social media applications to upload posts intended to disclaim and disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, he said.

The conspiracy meetings/closed door bayans were helmed by Bahrudeen and conducted in Madurai, Erode, Salem and Tanjore districts in Tamil Nadu, the official added.

In the searches conducted on Thursday in Mannargudi of Thiruvarur district and in Mansur Ali Thaikal area of Tanjore district, 30 books and handwritten documents containing incriminating literature related to Hizb-ut-Tahrir and establishment of the Islamic State/Khilafat and three digital devices were seized, he said, adding further investigation is on.

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