Ban on pro-jihadi outfit PFI is imminent after countrywide NIA, ED raids, arresting 106 key PFI leaders

NIA said a large number of criminal cases have been registered in different states over the last few years against the PFI, its leaders, and members for their alleged involvement in many violent acts

NIA said a large number of criminal cases have been registered in different states over the last few years against the PFI, its leaders, and members for their alleged involvement in many violent acts
NIA said a large number of criminal cases have been registered in different states over the last few years against the PFI, its leaders, and members for their alleged involvement in many violent acts

Noise to ban PFI grows louder amid nationwide NIA, ED raids

With the nationwide crackdown by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the arrest of the pro-jihadi organization Popular Front of India (PFI), it is widely expected that the Centre is going to ban the outfit, involved in many heinous crimes and anti-national activities for the past 15 years. Jharkhand government in February 2019, banned PFI for its involvement in pro-jihadi activities including engineering communal tensions, and radicalization of youth from Islam religion.

It is a known fact that all top leaders of PFI initially belonged to the banned organization SIMI (Students Islamic Movement) started in the early 70s and later they belong to many pro-Jihadi organizations and formed new radical Islamic organizations as and when the government bans their outfits. PFI is operating many organizations including student wings (CFI), fake human rights organizations, welfare and charitable organizations to route foreign funds from the Middle East, and even political outfits like SDPI (Socialist Democratic Party of India) and another political outfit Welfare Party. PFI also has a women’s wing also.

Many youngsters who left for ISIS illegally (via Dubai) worked with PFI and their subsidiary organizations as per the investigations by Indian agencies. The PFI was set up in 2006 and has now branches in over two dozen states and union territories including Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, and Manipur. Security agencies say the PFI is an offspring of the National Development Front which was formed after the demolition of the Babri Masjid and subsequent riots in 1993.

PFI is formed in Kerala in early 2000 and now operating its headquarters in Delhi. Their main money routing is through the Middle East, where millions of Muslims from Kerala work. Many top officials say that there would be a possible ban stares the Popular Front of India (PFI) in the face of its alleged involvement in terror activities after law-enforcement agencies Thursday conducted searches against it at 93 locations across 15 states in what officials described as the “largest-ever investigation process till date”.

The PFI has been under the radar of security agencies for its role in violent protests in different parts of the country against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, alleged forced conversions, the radicalization of Muslim youths, money laundering, and links with banned groups, informed officials said. The NIA, according to the officials, has secured 45 convictions as part of the earlier investigations against the PFI and has charge-sheeted 355 people in these cases.

The PFI was also accused of being involved in the violence that had erupted during the last Ram Navami in Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. According to law enforcement agencies, the PFI has over 50,000 members and many sympathizers in Kerala. “The PFI cadres are consciously encouraged to intervene and react even in minor cases against members of the Muslim community. The PFI cadres are also encouraged to act as guardians of Islamic values, thus effectively converting them into moral police. The cadres are given training in martial arts and combat using sticks and knives or swords at some locations in their strongholds,” says a document prepared by a security agency.

In near-simultaneous raids across the length and breadth of the country, a multi-agency operation spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency Thursday led to the arrest of 106 Popular Front of India activists for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country, officials said. The maximum number of arrests were made in Kerala (22) followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka (20 each), Tamil Nadu (10), Assam (9), Uttar Pradesh (8), Andhra Pradesh (5), Madhya Pradesh (4), Puducherry and Delhi (3 each) and Rajasthan (2).

The NIA arrested at least 15 top PFI leaders, including Kerala State President CP Muhammad Basheer, National President OMA Salam, National General Secretary Nasirudeen Elamaram, National Executive Member P Koya alia Kaleem Koya (the mastermind and ideology head), and State Committee Yahiya Thangal among others.

As many as 300 agency sleuths were engaged in the operation that began at 3.30 AM and the entire operation was monitored by the NIA chief, NIA officials said. “These searches were conducted at the houses and offices of the top PFI leaders and members in connection with five cases registered by the NIA following continued inputs and evidence that the PFI leaders and cadres were involved in the funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, organizing training camps for providing armed training and radicalizing people to join banned organizations,” an NIA spokesperson said.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Beyond these alleged active PFI workers, there is a lot of rabble rousers who work in tandem. The 9 pm shows have anchors who provoke some the so called political analysts, either for the TRP or for personal glory hunting in carrier with no regard to the effect such show have. While the SC has taken cognizance of the provocative debates involving both the anchors and invitees, a stop needs to be in place, this is not freedom of expression. It is deliberate or plain stupidity to conduct such debates which only help give a formal platform to the organizations such as PFI

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