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Kappan a mastermind at evading police: UP govt to SC
The UP government contested that Siddique Kappan, who was arrested nearly two years ago while on his way to Hathras, was going to cover an incident of rape and murder of a Dalit girl. It said he was part of a CFI delegation
NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh government has asked the Supreme Court to reject journalist Siddique Kappan’s bail appeal, accusing him of suppressing facts, destroying electronic evidence and using journalism as a cover to propagate activities of the Muslim extremist group, Popular Front of India (PFI).
The UP government also contested that Kappan, who was arrested nearly two years ago while on his way to Hathras, was going to cover an incident of rape and murder of a Dalit girl. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court against his bail petition, the UP government said he was going as part of a delegation of the Campus Front of India, the PFI’s student wing, and was accompanied by persons who have rioting cases against them.
“The accused is a mastermind at evading police – as is evident from the Rioting 101 pamphlet (the 17-page pamphlet with the words – Justice for Hathras victim) and from the fact that most of the electronic evidence (WhatsApp chats, calls, attachments etc) were found to be deleted from the phones of the accused, including the petitioner,” the Uttar Pradesh government said in an affidavit filed late on Monday.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit and justice S Ravindra Bhat last week told the state government to file its written submissions by 5 September and said that it will take up the matter for final disposal on September 9.
Siddique Kappan, who is accused of terror funding and criminal conspiracy under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and has been under arrest since October 6, 2020, was denied bail by the Allahabad high court on August 6. Kappan has said that he was travelling to Hathras as a journalist for a Malayalam news portal “Azhimukhum” and that he was unnecessarily being linked to PFI due to his earlier stint as a journalist with a PFI-linked newspaper, Thejas.
The UP government countered this claim. “The investigation has thrown such falsehoods into sharp relief and has demonstrated the deep links of the petitioner with terror funding/planning with PFI/ CFI (Campus Front of India, the student wing of PFI).”
The state government’s affidavit also cited a statement of the editor of the news portal who said that the publication did not depute Kappan to cover the Hathras incident.
“His assertion that he was going as a “journalist” is clearly a mere coverup,” said the UP government. “If the petitioner was in fact a “journalist” exercising his professional duties as claimed, why would he be travelling with known riot accused persons. The petitioner has not been able to provide any satisfactory explanation for the same, except bald assertions that he was carrying out his so-called journalistic duties.”
Thejas shut down in 2018 and since then Kappan has worked as a freelancer for regional Malayalam dailies.
Further, Kappan’s WhatsApp chats with Kamal KP, PFI general secretary, allegedly revealed that there was a discussion between them in September 2020 to conduct a “secret” workshop, and after this workshop, a sum of ₹25,000 was transferred to his account, the affidavit claimed.
“The investigation has revealed a close nexus and deep connection of the petitioner with the extremist PFI and its chapters including CFI, a close nexus with top leadership of PFI/CFI (which is basically formed of ex-SIMI members), who in turn have been found to have connections with Al Qaeda linked organizations like IHH in Turkey,” the affidavit said.
The state also said Kappan chatted with Rauf Sharif, who is alleged to be the main fundraiser and foreign money launderer for CFI, and is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a separate money laundering case. A charge sheet filed by ED on February 6, 2021, alleged that Rauf Sharif’s account was used by CFI for illegal and terrorist activities in India.
“A clear prima facie case against the petitioner has been established, who, at the directions of the top leadership of PFI, has been writing articles targeted at spreading communal tensions, fomenting riots and terror,” said the UP government, insisting that a prima facie case under UAPA has been established and bail should be denied to him.
The government said the case against Kappan was at the stage of framing of charges but this was delayed since a co-accused, Danish Khan, obtained a “stay of arrest” order from the Allahabad high court and has failed to appear.
The affidavit said a witness, a Bihar-based journalist who provided certain information against the Kappan, was subjected to such vicious trolling online, including death threats that he had to be provided 24X7 protection by the Bihar Police.
