PFI-backed main accused in Sreenivasan murder case arrested after three years on the run
In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended Shamnad E K, also known as Shamnad Illikkal, the prime accused in the 2022 murder of RSS leader Sreenivasan in Palakkad, Kerala. Shamnad had been absconding for nearly three years. He was arrested in Ernakulam after a sustained manhunt by the central agency.
Shamnad was under PFI’s protection, living under a fake identity
Shamnad, who is a resident of Manjeri in the Malappuram district, had been carrying a reward of Rs 7 lakh on his head. Investigators said he was living under an assumed identity, and the now-banned Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) had been providing him shelter since the gruesome daylight murder of Sreenivasan.
In a statement, NIA officials stated that the murder was not an isolated act. It was part of a broader conspiracy hatched by PFI leaders and operatives aimed at fuelling communal unrest. During the investigation, the agency found that the radical outfit had been radicalising vulnerable Muslim youth across the country with the long-term goal of establishing Islamic rule in India by 2047.
Terror training masked as Yoga and PE
The investigation further revealed that the PFI had been operating several covert wings, including a “Reporters Wing”, “Physical and Arms Training Wing”, and “Service Teams” to execute its violent plans. These units reportedly organised arms training sessions on the pretext of physical education and yoga programmes. Such events were generally hosted at their private campuses.
Fundraising for violent acts of terror was also a key part of the organisation’s structure. The funds were being diverted to finance targeted killings and violent activities. The murder of Sreenivasan was one among several such attacks planned by the Islamist group.
Chargesheets filed against 63 accused
NIA’s probe into the Palakkad killing has gained further traction with the recent arrest of Shamnad. So far, chargesheets have been filed against 63 individuals connected to the larger PFI conspiracy. The case has once again highlighted how the banned organisation had established a vast and secretive network operating with disturbing ideological clarity—one that sought not just to incite riots but to systematically undermine the secular and democratic foundation of India, aiming to establish Sharia rule in the country.
Murder of Sreenivasan
On April 16, SK Sreenivasan, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader, was hacked to death in broad daylight in Kerala’s Palakkad. He was a former Physical Education instructor of the RSS. Reports suggested he was murdered by a group of 5-6 assailants who arrived on three bikes. They hacked him to death inside his shop in the Melamuri area of Palakkad with sharp weapons. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers were armed with machetes and attacked him several times, inflicting multiple fatal injuries.
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