KOCHI: What’s Ghazwatul Hind, the Hadith (Prophet’s teachings) in Quran, got to do with Hafiz Saaed, co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and the operatives of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Kerala? The National Investigation Agency (NIA) claims the suspected terror operatives drew motivation from Ghazwatul Hind which was quoted by terror masterminds, including Hafiz Saeed, to fire up youth recruited for waging jihad in Kashmir.
NIA prosecutor Arjun Ambalapatta submitted before the NIA court here - hearing the Kanakamala IS case - Ghazwatul Hind is interpreted as an appeal to conquer India and anyone attaining martyrdom in the process will reach heaven and this frequently featured in their social media chats.
“There are different interpretations of Ghazwatul Hind. However, terror operatives claim it is for conquering India. Some claim Hind referred in the Hadith is a person,” he stated. Similarly, writings by Ibn Nuhaas - an Islamic scholar and a jihadi who lived in Egypt during medieval times. is often quoted by IS suspects in the state. The translated version of a tome by Nuhaas was seized from the residence of an accused in Kanakamala case. Curiously, the translation was apparently done by Mansoor who was killed while purportedly fighting for the IS in Syria. Mansoor is also an accused in an NIA case registered in the state.
The preachings of American Anwar al-Awalaki, a radical Islamist of Yemeni descent, killed in a US drone strike, were also relied upon by the accused, according to the NIA.
NIA Judge P Krishnakumar on Wednesday examined NIA DySP Abdul Khadar who was a member of the team which probed Kanakamala IS case. The witness examination as part of the trial in the case is set to conclude this week.
At a glance
The witness examination as part of the trial in the case is set to conclude this week Till now, 101 witnesses were examined by the court with the trial likely to conclude next month