The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed chargesheet against the sole accused in Kerala train arson case in which three passengers, including a child, were killed and nine others injured.
The accused, Sharukh Saifi (27), has been charged under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Railways Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act, the NIA said in a statement.
Sharukh, a resident of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, is accused of committing the terror act by setting the D1 Coach of Alappuzha- Kannur Executive Express on fire near Kozhikode on April 2. He allegedly sprinkled petrol on the passengers and set the bogey on fire using a lighter.
As per the NIA chargesheet, the accused was self-radicalised through various propaganda material available on social media in favour of violent extremism and jihad, propagated by radical Islamic preachers of Indian and foreign nationalities. “In this process, he followed radical and hardline Islamic preachers including those who are Pakistan-based, on social media platforms,” the chargesheet said.
The NIA said Sharukh boarded the moving train, committed the terror act and travelled in the same train till Kannur, before escaping to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, from where he was arrested. He had travelled to Kerala from Delhi on March 31 and reached the state on April 2. The accused purchased petrol from a petrol bunk in Shoranur and a lighter from a nearby store, the agency said.
The NIA further claimed that Sharukh had chosen Kerala for his mission as he wanted to commit his jihadi act in a location where he would not be recognised. “He had intended to return to normal life after the commission of the act, aimed at creating terror in the minds of the general public,” it said.
The case was initially registered by Kozhikode Railway Police Station and later by a Special Investigation Team. The NIA took over the investigation on April 17. The agency had conducted raids at ten locations in Delhi and seized several digital devices.