NIA convicts two in killing of retired school principal

A Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Lucknow has found two accused guilty of killing a retired school principal in furtherance of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) agenda by spreading fear and terror among the people.
The NIA Special Court, Lucknow, today held the accused guilty under section 302 read with sections 34 & 120B of IPC,  sections 16(1)(a) & 18 of the UA(P) Act, and sections 3, 25 & 27 of the Arms Act. The quantum of sentence against the accused, Atif Muzaffar and Md Faisal Khan, both residents of Kanpur Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, will be pronounced on 11th September.
The victim, Ram Babu Shukla, the Kanpur-based retired From Principal of Swami Atmaprakash Brahmchari Junior High School in Kanpur, was killed on 24th October, 2016 while he was returning home on a bicycle. He was attacked by the accused near village Pyondi in Kanpur.
The anti-terror agency had filed a chargesheet against the two accused on 12th July 2018 after elaborate investigations, which revealed that the men had been radicalised by the ISIS ideology and were out to kill people whom they believed to be disbelievers (Qafirs). A third accused, Mohammad Saifulla, had died in exchange of fire with the Anti-Terrorist Squad, U.P, on the night of 7th March 2017.
Investigations by NIA revealed that the accused were operating under the influence of ISIS, a proscribed terrorist organisation. They had conspired to carry out terrorist activities (Jihad) in India by targeting non-Muslims through violent acts. In furtherance of their conspiracy to promote the ISIS ideology & agenda, they murdered Shukla to strike terror and alarm in the minds of the common people.
The case was initially registered as case no.884/2016 dated 24th October 2016 at PS Chakeri, Kanpur Nagar. The NIA had taken over the case from the U.P. Police in November 2017 and re-registered it as RC-05/2017/NIA-LKW.