Mumbai: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has framed charges against Kalyan youth Areeb Majeed, an alleged member of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) who left the country in May 2014 to participate in combat for the trans-national terror group in Syria. He returned in November the same year when he was arrested by the NIA.
He was charged under sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which are concerned with terror acts and section 125 of Indian Penal Code, which is concerned with waging war against nations that are friendly with India. The court has kept the matter for further hearing on May 15.
Special NIA Court judge V.V. Patil, while framing charges, said, “You (Majeed) along with absconding accused Saheem Tanki and Aman Tandel entered into a criminal conspiracy hatched during January 2014 and November 2014 to commit terrorist acts in the name of jihad in Iraq and Syria and aided and abetted each other by agreeing to commit terrorist acts and joined a terrorist organisation, Islamic state of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and thereby committed an offence punishable under the section 18 of the UAPA.” The judge added, “You, the accused, had actively taken part in various terrorist acts including fidayeen attacks against Iraqi, Syrian and Kurdish forces with the intention to strike terror in the minds of people. You thereby committed an offence punishable under section 16 of the UAPA.”
Stating that Majeed actively took part in the war against the governments of Iraq and Syria and waged a war against those countries, which are in peace with the government of India, he had committed an offence punishable under section 125 of the IPC.”
A special NIA court had in February 2017 passed an order stating that Majeed could not be charged under section 20 of the UAPA (which deals with punishment for being member of terrorist gang or organisation) since ISIS had not yet been declared a terrorist organisation by India.
