The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against the prime accused in a Gujarat-based online terror radicalisation case, alleging that he conspired to promote violent jihad, planned targeted killings, and worked to engineer the secession of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from India. The chargesheet was filed on 23 July before the NIA Special Court in Ahmedabad against the accused, identified as Faijan.

Charges and Legal Provisions

The NIA filed the chargesheet invoking relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the Arms Act. The case was originally registered by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) following Faijan's arrest on the basis of what the agency described as reliable intelligence inputs. The NIA took over the investigation from the ATS in March 2025 and re-registered it as a case at its Ahmedabad branch.

What the NIA Alleged

According to the agency, the investigation established that Faijan had remained in contact with a Pakistan-based operative of the banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as part of the alleged conspiracy. He was allegedly acting on the directions of an online handler and had been radicalising vulnerable youths by offering incentives to support violent jihad and armed rebellion.

The NIA further alleged that Faijan had planned targeted killings with the objective of creating communal tension and spreading, in the agency's words, 'mayhem and disaffection against India.' For this purpose, he allegedly procured a firearm and six live cartridges illegally from Uttar Pradesh without a valid licence — the weapon was subsequently seized during the investigation.

Digital Evidence and Social Media Trail

Investigators allege that Faijan used social media to disseminate extremist content, uploading videos promoting violence through his Instagram account identified as 'al.Faijangaza'. Forensic examination of his digital devices, according to the NIA, led to the recovery of several incriminating videos and photographs that form part of the evidence cited in the chargesheet.

Broader Pattern of Gujarat Radicalisation Cases

The NIA noted that its investigation is continuing to identify other alleged members of the conspiracy, including the Pakistan-based handler said to have directed Faijan's activities. This case forms part of a series of NIA probes into alleged online radicalisation networks in Gujarat. Earlier this year, the agency chargesheeted five accused in a separate case involving the dissemination of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) propaganda through social media, alleging that the group sought to radicalise youths and encourage armed revolt against the Indian state. That investigation was also taken over from the Gujarat ATS after digital evidence and weapons were recovered during the probe.

Notably, both cases point to a pattern of online handlers — allegedly operating from outside India — using social media platforms to recruit and radicalise individuals within Gujarat, raising questions about the scale of the network and the number of individuals yet to be identified.