Madurai: NIA Arrests Hindu Convert To Islam Over Spreading Terrorist Ideology, Inciting Communal Riots

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing a Hindu man who converted to Islam in 2013 for propagating terrorist ideology and inciting communal riots through his posts on Facebook.

The agency confiscated 16 digital devices along with pamphlets as it conducted raids at four locations in the city in Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

The NIA re-registered this case in April 2021 after Mohammed Iqbal alias Senthil Kumar was first arrested by the Tamil Nadu police on 2 December, 2020.

Iqbal is said to have been attacking the Hindu community through his posts on a Facebook page named “Thoonga Vizhigal Rendu is in Kazimar Street”.

One of the spokespersons from the NIA told the Hindu, “The posts were designed to incite communal disharmony among different religious groups, in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.”

Iqbal was propagating the ideologies of radically fundamentalist organisations like Islamic State and Hizb- Ut- Tahrir (HuT) on social media.

He has been arrested under Section 13 (1) B of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) whereas section 153A IPC concerned with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc has also been invoked against him.

The FIR filed by the NIA says that the concerned Facebook page provokes Muslims to act against Hindus and also that Iqbal remained in contact with numerous prohibited international terrorist groups and the networks of ISIS, HuT etc.