NIA crackdown on PFI, 106 arrested, ban imminent: Key developments

Those arrested are accused of indulging in 'unlawful activities promoting enmity among communities' and 'waging a war against the country' - Reports Gautam Debroy

New Delhi:A major multi-agency crackdown led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was launched against the Popular Front of India (PFI) on Thursday with 106 of its activists arrested after raids at 93 locations across 15 states in India.

As many as 300 officials of the NIA, from SP to Director General rank, were involved in the operation that began early Thursday morning and continued for 16 hours across India. NIA alone arrested 45 PFI activists who, officials said, will be booked under the stringent UAPA. They are accused of indulging in 'unlawful activities promoting enmity among communities' and 'waging a war against the country'.

NIA conducted raids at 93 locations in 15 states including Kerala (39 locations), Tamil Nadu (16), Karnataka (12), Andhra Pradesh (7), Telangana (1), UP (2), Rajasthan (4), Delhi (2), Assam (1), MP (1), Maharashtra (4) Goa (1), West Bengal (1), Bihar (1) and Manipur (1).

During the searches on Thursday, the NIA said it found incriminating documents, cash, sharp-edged weapons, besides a large number of digital devices, it said. The arrests were made during the searches which have been termed as a result of "largest ever" investigation process "till date", officials said.

The raids, as per official sources, began at 3:30 am and involved as many as 300 National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials from across its various offices.

In a joint operation with the Enforcement Directorate and state police teams, offices of the top brass of the PFI and members were searched in connection with five cases registered by the NIA following continued inputs and evidence against the leaders and cadres for their alleged involvement in funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, organising training camps for providing armed training and radicalising people to join banned organisations, they said.

The arrests were made separately by agencies involved in the operation, with the NIA alone arresting 45 as part of five cases. PFI chairman O M A Salam was arrested by the NIA from Kerala, the officials said As many as 19 accused have been arrested by the NIA from Kerala, 11 from Tamil Nadu, 7 from Karnataka, 4 from Andhra Pradesh, 2 from Rajasthan, and 1 each from UP and Telangana, the agency said in a statement.

The maximum number of arrests were made in Kerala (22) followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka (20 each), Andhra Pradesh (5), Assam (9), Delhi (3), Madhya Pradesh (4), Puducherry (3), Tamil Nadu (10), UP (8) and Rajasthan (2), the officials said. As on date, the NIA is investigating a total of 19 cases involving PFI, they said.

Details of those arrested were not available immediately, but the officials said that the arrests were done by the NIA, ED and the police forces of 15 states so far.

Why the action?

Reasoning the raids, the agency said that violent acts allegedly carried out by PFI such as chopping off the hand of a college professor and cold-blooded killings of persons associated with organisations espousing other faiths have had a "demonstrative effect" of striking terror in the minds of the citizens.

"Criminal violent acts carried out by PFI such as chopping off the hand of a college professor, cold-blooded killings of persons associated with organisations espousing the other faiths, collection of explosives to target prominent people and places, support to Islamic State and destruction of public property have had a demonstrative effect of striking terror in the minds of the citizens," an NIA statement said.

An NIA official said, "A large number of criminal cases have been registered by different states over the last few years against the PFI and its leaders and members for their involvement in many violent acts." The ED has been investigating the PFI's alleged "financial links" on charges of fuelling the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in the country, the Delhi riots that took place in February, 2020, alleged conspiracy in the Hathras (a district in Uttar Pradesh) case of alleged gangrape and death of a Dalit woman, and a few other instances.

The organisation was formed in 2006 in Kerala and is headquartered in Delhi. The ED has filed two charge sheets against PFI and its office bearers before a special PMLA court in Lucknow. In February last year, the ED filed its first charge sheet against the PFI and its student wing Campus Front of India (CFI) on money laundering charges claiming its members wanted to "incite communal riots and spread terror" in the aftermath of the alleged Hathras gang rape case of 2020.

'Strongly protest fascist regime': PFI issues statement

The PFI issued a statement saying the "raids are taking place at the homes of national, state and local leaders of PFI. The state committee office is also being raided". "We strongly protest the fascist regime's moves to use agencies to silence dissenting voices," the outfit said in a statement. PFI's Kerala state general secretary A Abdul Sattar asserted that any attempt to ban the organisation will be met with strong resistance.

He warned that a hartal will be held on Friday if the detained leaders are not released immediately. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Sattar said that the NIA is implementing the RSS agenda.

Those named in the charge sheet included K A Rauf Sherif, national general secretary of CFI and a member of PFI; Atikur Rahman, national treasurer of CFI; Masud Ahmed, Delhi-based general secretary of CFI; journalist "associated with PFI" Siddique Kappan and Mohammed Alam, another CFI/PFI member.
In the second charge sheet filed this year, the ED had claimed that a hotel based in the UAE "served" as a money laundering front for the PFI.

The NIA, as per officials, has secured 45 convictions as part of its earlier investigations against the PFI and has charge-sheeted 355 persons in these cases.

Ban imminent

A possible ban stares the PFI in the face for its alleged involvement in terror activities. 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, radicalisation of Muslim youths, money laundering and links with banned groups, informed officials said.

The NIA said a large number of criminal cases has 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.

The officials said criminal and violent acts allegedly carried out by the PFI over a period of time -- such as the chopping off the hand of a college professor in Kerala, cold-blooded killings of people linked with organisations espousing other faiths, collection of explosives to target prominent people and places, support to Islamic State and destruction of public property -- have had a demonstrative effect of striking terror in the minds of the citizens.

The NIA, according to the officials, has secured 45 convictions as part of the earlier investigations against the PFI and has chargesheeted 355 people in these cases. Last year, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had also submitted before the Supreme Court the central government is in the process of banning the PFI, which has already been declared outlaw in several states, including Jharkhand.

PFI, a "neo-social" movement under the lens

In 2006, leaders of three like-minded outfits from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka sat together and discussed the need for forming a pan-India organisation for empowering the Muslim community from their socio, economic and political backwardness.

On the basis of the decision arrived at the meeting held at Manjeri in Kerala's Malappuram district, leaders of the National Development Front (NDF) in Kerala, Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Forum for Dignity assembled at Bengaluru few months later and announced the merger of the three outfits, leading to the emergence of the Popular Front of India (PFI).

The PFI claims to strive for a neo-social movement ostensibly for the empowerment of marginalised sections of India.It is, however, often accused by law enforcement agencies of promoting radical Islam. After its birth in 2006, PFI soon expanded its operations in other states in north, west and east and northeastern parts of the country. It further spread its wings after the merger of various social organisations with it.

The PFI now has various allied organisations including its political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the student wing Campus Front of India, National Women's Front, an NGO called Rehab India Foundation and a think tank called Empower India Foundation.
Several analysts have traced the roots of the PFI to the NDF, a radical Islamic outfit which was formed in 1993, in response to the demolition of the Babri Masjid a year ago.

Founded by former leaders of the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the activities of the NDF were widely discussed in Kerala following communal riots in Kozhikode district in 2002 and 2003 which saw killings of people belonging to two communities.