Kerala train arson accused committed act of terror for absolution, says NIA in court

SHARUKH Saifi, the accused in the 2023 train arson case, committed the act believing that killing kafirs (non-believers) was the "shortest" route to absolution for his sins, the National Investigation Agency has said.

- TOBY ANTONY @Kochi

The submission was filed in response to a bail plea moved by Saifi in the NIA court last month citing delay in the trial's commencement. The court dismissed the plea.

Saifi was arrested for pouring petrol on passengers on the Alappuzha-Kannur Express and torching its coach in April 2023, resulting in the death of three people, including a child. In his petition, Saifi claimed he was arrested on April 6, 2023, without being informed of the grounds for the arrest in writing.

He argued that the postmortem report stated that people died after jumping from the moving train rather than from the fire. Since further investigation is ongoing, he noted there was no likelihood of the trial commencing in the near future.