The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had on 29th November filed the chargesheet in the Islamic State (IS)-linked cooker blast case that took place in Mangaluru, Karnataka, last year. The NIA chargesheet that the terror accused used fake Hindu names and identity cards while carrying out the terror conspiracy.
In Mangaluru, Karnataka, on November 19, an autorickshaw exploded. The explosion of the cooker bomb inside the vehicle caused burn injuries to the driver, Purshottham, and one passenger, later identified as Mohammed Shariq. It came to light that Mohammed Shariq, 24, was riding in the autorickshaw with a pressure cooker device. He intended to detonate the IED at Kadri Manjunatha Temple in Mangaluru to terrorize the Hindu community, but the low-intensity explosive accidentally detonated en route, according to the NIA chargesheet.
Notably, within 24 hours of the blast, the Director General of Police (DGP) Karnataka tweeted to confirm that this blast was an act of terror and a series of revelations appeared in the subsequent investigations.
“It’s confirmed now,” said the Director General of Police (DGP) in a tweet. “The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies.”
During the probe, it was revealed that Shariq was using a fake Aadhaar card with the Hindu name Premraj. He was already on the radar of the investigating agency for months. Following the incident, a case was registered at Kankanady police station and later on the case was transferred to the NIA.
Congress leader DK Shivakumar gives clean chit to the Mangaluru blast accused who had ISIS connections
While the NIA chargesheet revealed the entire nexus of the ISIS terror plot, it may be mentioned here that the Congress party had, after the incident, given a clean chit to the Mangaluru bomb blast accused Mohammed Shariq. Congress leader DK Shivakumar had raised questions over calling Mohammed Shariq who was carrying the cooker bomb a “terrorist”.
Completely ignoring the fact that the NIA team investigating the matter had discovered plenty of evidence from the accused’s home that established his close ties to the Islamist terror group ISIS, the Congress leader questioned how someone could be labelled a terrorist without any investigation.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday 15th December 2022, the Congress leader questioned why the DGP tweeted in a ‘hurry’ with regard to the Mangaluru cooker blast case. He said that the Mangaluru bomb blast might have taken place by mistake and also questioned whether it was as big a terrorist attack as the one that happened in Mumbai, Delhi or Kashmir.
The Congress leader had, in fact, even raised fingers at the Karnataka DGP for confirming that the incident was not an accident but an act of terror.
“Why did the Karnataka DGP tweet in a hurry regarding the Mangaluru cooker blast incident? Why did he link it to terrorism? He declared the accused a terrorist without any probe. Was the incident similar to the 26/11 attack in Mumbai?” the Congress state president asked.
Congress accuses BJP of using Mangaluru cooker blast incident to divert attention
The Congress leader had, however, not stopped at this. Along with trying to shield the accused Islamists, he had continued to utilize the horrific terrorist attack for petty political purposes, accusing the Karnataka-based BJP of exploiting the Bangalore cooker bomb blast case for political gain.
“The BJP government has no significant achievement to showcase to voters. By projecting the blast in a big way, the government wants to steal votes… Who do you call a terrorist? What was shown on TV? What was shown in the media….nothing,” DK Shivakumar said.
Congress links with ISIS-sponsored Mangaluru cooker blast case
Interestingly, while the Congress leader was busy giving a clean chit to the Mangaluru bomb blast accused and accusing the BJP of planting the blast case to exploit people’s sentiments for its political gains in the 2023 Assembly elections and hush up lapses in the administration, his party’s links had emerged with the accused.
In January this year, the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at five locations in Karnataka in connection with the Mangaluru cooker blast case. Searches were also conducted at the residence of accused Shariq in Shivamogga, who was the prime accused in the blast. The relatives of Shariq were also searched.
ED officials raided a complex in Theerthahalli. ED officials raided a shopping complex in the Soppa Gudda area which belonged to Shariq’s father and in the same complex, Congress rented an office. It emerged that the Congress office was taken on lease from the Mangaluru autorickshaw blast case accused Shariq’s family. An agreement was signed between Shariq’s father and Congress leader Kimmane Rathnakar’s niece, Naveen.
Following the raids, the central agencies established that a deposit of Rs 10 lakh was made by senior Congress leader and former Education Minister Kimmane Rathnakar in the bank account of the grandmother of Mohammed Shariq, a terror suspect in the Mangaluru cooker blast case.
Officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate questioned Rathnakar since the agreement for the lease of the building was signed by his close relative.
Rathnakar however denied any connection with Majid, except for the party office rental agreement. “The party has an eight-year rental agreement under which a deposit of Rs 10 lakh and a monthly rent of Rs 1000 is paid to the landlord,” he told the local media.
Apart from this, the counter-terrorist task force, which had already established the connection between the Mangaluru cooker blast case and the Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case also confirmed that one of the ISIS operatives, Reshaan Sheikh arrested in connection with the Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case is the son of Karnataka Congress leader Thajuddin Sheikh.
NIA chargesheet in Mangaluru cooker blast case reveals its connections with the Shivamogga trial blast case
On 15th August 2022, a person named Prem Singh was stabbed to death in Shivamogga. Following the incident, a case was registered at Doddapet police station. Later on, two accused Zabiullah and Nadeem Faisal were arrested in this stabbing case.
Mohammad Shariq who was also involved in the stabbing case went absconding. After absconding from Shivamogga, he went to Ulaibettu in Mangaluru where he stayed with Ansar, who was with him in jail in an earlier case.
Both of them were earlier arrested in the Mangaluru “Lashkar Zindabad” case. While staying in Mangaluru, Shariq got in touch with Syed Yasin.
Incidentally, both Mohammad Shariq and Syed Yasin had been charge-sheeted by NIA in both the terror cases – the Shivamogga trial blast case and the Mangaluru cooker blast case.
ISIS operative arrested by NIA in connection with Shivamogga trial blast case turns out to be Karnataka Congress leader Thajuddin Sheikh’s son
Later, on January 5, 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two ISIS operatives, Reshaan Thajuddin Sheikh of Udupi District and Huzair Farhan Baig of Shivamogga District. NIA conducted a search operation at six locations across Karnataka in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Davanagere and Bengaluru in connection with the Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case that led to the arrest of two ISIS Operatives.
The task force confirmed that the arrested Reshann Shekih is the son of Karnataka Congress leader Thajuddin Sheikh.
NIA conducts searches at 06 locations and arrests 02 operatives in connection with Shivamogga ISIS Conspiracy Case pic.twitter.com/ZZoFAVUCth
— NIA India (@NIA_India) January 6, 2023
Reshaan Thajuddin Sheikh and Huzair Farhan Baig acquired funding through Cryto-wallets from ISIS handlers to promote terror activity in India.
Click here to read the NIA chargesheet in the Shivamogga trial blast case. The accused charge-sheeted in the case include Mohamed Shariq (25), Maaz Muneer Ahmed (23), Syed Yasin (22), Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh (22), Huzair Farhan Baig (22), Mazin Abdul Rahman (22), Nadeem Ahmed K A (22), Zabiulla (32) and Nadeem Faizal N (27).
Interestingly, a day after Reshaan Thajuddin Sheikh was taken into custody by the NIA, social media was rife with pictures of his father with several congress leaders. Thajuddin Sheikh, who is the general secretary of the Brahamvar Block Congress in Udupi reportedly is closely associated with former Chief Minister of Karnataka and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah, KPCC president DK Shivakumar, and UT Khader.
