Kochi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed that the documents seized during the nation-wide raids conducted at offices of Popular Front of India (PFI) and its leaders contain highly incriminating materials targeting prominent leaders of a particular community.

In a remand report submitted before the NIA special court here seeking custody of 10 people in connection with a case registered here, the agency alleged that the radical Islamist outfit encouraged youth to join terrorist groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The report, which was submitted on September 22, also claims that the outfit conspired to establish Islamic rule in India by committing terrorist act as a part of violent jihad.

It said the PFI spreads "dis-affection against India by wrongful interpretation of government policies to the particular section of people" to create hatred against the state and its machineries.

"During the investigation, based on materials collected, it has been disclosed that the accused named in the FIR were actively involved in the organised crimes and unlawful activities repeatedly, to terrorise other religious sections of the society, besides creating fear in the mind of general public based on the larger conspiracy hatched among themselves and others," the report said.

In near simultaneous raids across the country, a multi-agency operation spearheaded by the NIA on September 22 led to the arrest of 106 activists of the Popular Front of India in 11 States for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.

"The seized documents also contain highly incriminating materials related to targeting of prominent leaders of a particular community. The Hit List seized clearly shows that the PFI, which is working through its leaders, members and associated have gone far ahead in creating atrocities among the community," the report said.

It said with an intention to disrupt public tranquility and propagating alternative justice delivery system, "the PFI encouraged youths to join terrorist organisation" including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Islamic State of iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaida and "also conspired to establish Islamic rule in India by committing terrorist act" as a part of violent jihad.

"The case involves key players of the society and they are highly influential even to the effect of stalling the community and its progress by a mere call. The common man stands threatened by the stand taken by the accused and their henchmen," the report added.

The agency said the devices confiscated from the accused and from the offices of the PFI needed to be analysed at CDAC in Thiruvananthapuram.

The probe agency had produced 10 accused before the court and sought custody of them to "unearth larger conspiracy hatched by the accused/cadres and office bearers/leaders of PFI".

It said the Ministry of Home Affairs had on September 16 directed it to probe the matter following which a case was registered on September 29 under various section of the IPC and the UAPA.

The NIA court had remanded the accused to judicial custody.

The maximum number of arrests were made in Kerala (22) followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka (20 each), Tamil Nadu (10), Assam (9), Uttar Pradesh (8), Andhra Pradesh (5), Madhya Pradesh (4), Puducherry and Delhi (3 each) and Rajasthan (2).

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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday got the nomination form for the AICC presidential poll collected from the party headquarters here with sources saying he is likely to file his papers on September 30.

Tharoor's close aide Aalim Javeri collected the forms from the office of the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on the first day of the start of the nomination process, all but confirming an electoral face-off for the top party post with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

The nomination form is likely to be filed by Tharoor on the last day of the nomination process on September 30 as the idea is to collect nomination-endorsing signatures from across the country, sources told PTI.

A total of 10 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates are needed to endorse a candidate.

After over two decades, the Congress is set to see a contest for the post of party chief with Gehlot, who has announced his candidature, expected to take on Tharoor.

Tharoor on Monday had met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest the poll. The Congress president conveyed she would stay "neutral" in the elections, according to sources.

Sonia Gandhi had welcomed the idea of more people contesting the poll and dispelled the notion that there would be an "official candidate".

According to a notification issued by the party on Thursday, the process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30.

The date for a scrutiny of the nomination papers is October 1, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8.

The final list of candidates will be published at 5 pm on October 8.

The polling, if needed, will be held on October 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.

More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will vote in the poll.

The Congress last saw a contest for the party president's post in November 2000. Jitendra Prasada had lost to Sonia Gandhi in 2000 and prior to that, Sitaram Kesri had defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot in 1997.

Three persons were killed and six others sustained serious injuries in separate incidents of house collapse due to heavy rains, officials said on Saturday.

A migrant worker was killed and three other workers were injured as a liquid nitrogen gas cylinder exploded while being filled at a private plant here on Saturday, police said.

The BJP Saturday expelled Vinod Arya and his son from the party, a day after the leader's another son was arrested in the murder case of a woman receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand's Pauri.

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