UP police arrest high ranked PFI member in Kerala

DG Law and Order Prashanth Kumar said a voice note was recovered from Kappan's mobile phone post-arrest "which was sent to Kamal KP, a high-ranking member of banned organisation Popular Front of India". "A code word was used in the voice note, which, when decoded, revealed that a meeting had been convened to hatch plans to incite communal riots," he added.

Lucknow:The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police on Friday arrested Kamal KP, a member of banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), in a case pertaining to the alleged conspiracy to incite communal violence in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras following the rape and murder of a Dalit girl in the district back in December 2020. The accused claimed by the police, to have communicated with journalist Siddique Kappan regarding setting up a secret meeting, was arrested from Kerala's Malappuram district.

Kappan, who walked free earlier this year on February 2, was charged under the stringent Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), as well as sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts of Indian Penal Code. He remained in prison for over two years after being arrested while on his way to Hathras to report on the rape incident.

Speaking about the arrest, ADG Law and Order Prashanth Kumar said a voice note was recovered from Kappan's mobile phone post-arrest "which was sent to Kamal KP, a high-ranking member of banned organisation Popular Front of India". "A code word was used in the voice note, which, when decoded, revealed that a meeting had been summoned to hatch plans to incite riots," he added.

Kappan, as well as three others, were arrested at Mathura toll plaza on October 5, 2020. The ADG further noted that Kamal KP was also connected to Ansad Badruddin, who alongside one of his associates, was arrested in Lucknow in possession of explosives last year. In search of the accused, the UP police had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head, the official stated.