The Special Court handling NIA cases in Poonamallee, Chennai, has sentenced Abdullah alias Saravana Kumar to five years in prison and imposed a fine of ₹10,000. The 31-year-old Abdullah alias Saravana Kumar from Madurai was convicted for his involvement in promoting radical ideologies and supporting the establishment of an Islamic State in Tamil Nadu.
Abdullah was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2021 as part of the ISIS-Madurai Hizb-ut-Tahrir module investigation. He was accused of spreading ISIS ideology on social media, inciting people against India, and advocating for the creation of a Khilafat (Islamic state). The NIA stated that Abdullah sought foreign support to form an army for establishing an Islamic State in Tamil Nadu through jihad.
Originally, Abdullah was charged by Madurai city’s Teppakulam police in April 2021 for his controversial social media posts supporting violence against India. He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of attempting to wage war against the government and promoting religious enmity, as well as under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his links to terrorism.
The NIA took over the investigation in May 2021, conducting searches at Abdullah’s residence. The agency found that Abdullah was a “highly radicalized” member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a banned extremist group, and had intentionally aligned himself with ISIS recruiters to support the group’s activities. The NIA’s investigation revealed that he used his Facebook account to post content that incited people to establish a Khilafat and undermined India’s sovereignty.
The NIA filed a charge sheet in the Special Court in Chennai, detailing his “incendiary” social media activity. The agency has been closely monitoring and investigating social media posts linked to terrorism in Tamil Nadu, and earlier this year, they conducted searches related to another suspect, Mohammad Iqbal alias Senthil Kumar, who was also accused of advocating extremist ideologies linked to ISIS and Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
Dravidianist Media Repeatedly Refers To Convict By Hindu Alias
News outlets like Puthiya Thalaimurai and some others like Dinakaran in Tamil Nadu are seen to mention the convict by the Hindu name repeatedly and did not address him by his other name – Abdullah. While they may have mentioned once in the article, the alias is not used as many times as compared to the Hindu name.
Critics argue that such reporting practices will contribute to a broader trend of selectively highlighting names based on religious or cultural associations, especially if the individual belongs to a minority community. This approach, critics say, goes on to foster implicit biases and obscure accountability, as it downplays the backgrounds of individuals involved in criminal activity. These practices raise questions about media integrity and objectivity, especially in a multi-religious society, where impartiality in news reporting is essential to avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or biases.
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