The National Investigation Agency has been carrying out a second round of raids on the PFI across the country on Tuesday. ANI.
New Delhi: In nationwide raids carried out by law-enforcing agencies, thirty people associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI) were detained from multiple locations in the national capital, including Nizamuddin and Shaheen Bagh on Tuesday, Delhi Police officials said.
“We have conducted raids at multiple locations in the national capital, including Shaheen Bagh and Nizamuddin. So, far we have detained 30 people associated with the PFI,” a senior police officer said. The raids were conducted early morning by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
In Gujarat, 10 people were detained for questioning over alleged links with the PFI in raids conducted by a joint team of the state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The PFI’s political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is known to be active in Gujarat and had set up its office in Ahmedabad a few months back.
Over the past week, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been raiding premises linked to the PFI in various states, including Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Kerala.
Nearly 25 PFI members were arrested from the districts of Assam including Kamrup Rural (5), Goalpara (10), Karimganj (1), Udalguri (1), Darrang (1), Dhubri (3), Barpeta (2) and Baksa (2), the Assam Police CPRO confirmed to news agency PTI.
Earlier, 11 people were arrested by the Assam Police from various parts of the state and Delhi, after a nation-wide clampdown against the organisation since September 22.
“Today in Assam, we have picked up 25 PFI people. This operation will be intensified,” Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma indicated.
In a massive crackdown on the PFI, multi-agency teams spearheaded by the NIA arrested a total of 106 leaders and activists of the radical Islamic outfit on September 22 in simultaneous raids across 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.
On Tuesday, the Madhya Pradesh Police also detained 21 people from eight districts of the state over links with the Popular Front of India, state home minister Narottam Mishra said.
Following the arrests last week from Indore and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, the state police have detained 21 more people over links with the PFI from eight districts of the state, said Mishra, who is also the MP government’s spokesperson. These people were detained on the basis of interrogation of the PFI activists arrested last week.
Last Thursday, four PFI activists were arrested from Madhya Pradesh in a multi-agency operation led by the NIA.
In Karnataka too, over 80 people with PFI links were detained by the police. “Based on intelligence inputs, we conducted raids and caught over 80 people associated with PFI & SDPI. Twenty more people are also being questioned. They have been sent to preventive custody. They were planning to incite communal violence/public disorder,” the Karnataka ADGP (Law & Order) said.
Set up in 2006, the Popular Front of India claims to strive for a neo-social movement ostensibly for the empowerment of marginalised sections of communities in India. But, it is often accused by law enforcement agencies of promoting radical Islam. The organisation was formed in Kerala and has its headquarters in Delhi.
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