Kerala Train Arson Case: NIA Chargesheets Only Accused

In the Kerala train arson case, which resulted in three fatalities, including a toddler, and nine injuries in April, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges against the lone defendant.

According to a federal agency spokesperson, Sharukh alias Sharukh Saifi, who resided in the Shaheen Bagh neighborhood of New Delhi and self-radicalized by reading online propaganda from radical Islamic preachers, has been charged under numerous sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Railways Act, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.

According to the newspaper, on April 2, the 27-year-old is suspected of perpetrating an act of terrorism by setting fire to the D1 coach of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express.

The spokesman said, citing the chargesheet, “Sharukh, the sole accused in the grisly case, had sprinkled petrol on the passengers and set the bogey on fire with a lighter with the intention to kill people.”

According to a spokesman, the accused got aboard the Alappuzha-Kannaur Executive Express while it was moving, performed the deed, and rode the train all the way to Kannur before fleeing and making his way to Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, where he was ultimately apprehended.

According to the source, Sharukh left New Delhi for Kerala on March 31 and arrived in the region on April 2.

“The accused purchased gasoline from a petrol bunk in Shoranur and a lighter from a nearby store at Shoranur Railway Station,” the spokesman said, it was noted.

He selected Kerala for the act of terror and arson because, according to the official, he wanted to carry out his “jihadi” deed in a place where he would not be identified, the report claimed.

“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,” the spokesman added, according to the BBC.

According to the official, the accused became radicalized by himself after seeing numerous online propaganda pieces on social media that supported violent extremism and “jihad,” as promoted by radical Islamic preachers of Indian and other countries, it was noted.

“During this process, he followed hardline and extremist Islamic preachers on social internet, especially those with a base in Pakistan. According to the report, the man had been radicalized online and had carried out the arson as a jihadi terror attack.

The Special Investigation Team in Kerala then opened an investigation into the crime after it was originally reported to Kozhikode Railway Police Station.

On April 17, the Ministry of Home Affairs delegated control of the case’s investigation to the NIA.

The NIA claimed that during its investigations, it searched 10 places in Delhi and confiscated digital gadgets.

According to the report, a number of witnesses were questioned, and CCTV video from the railway station was also taken, the spokeswoman added.