The ban on Popular Front of India underneath the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act comes within the wake of over 1,300 legal circumstances registered towards PFI members by regulation enforcement businesses throughout the nation and their alleged terror hyperlinks, counsel sources within the safety institution. . advised the Indian Express on Wednesday.
According to a doc from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), these circumstances have been registered underneath the provisions of UAPA, Indian Penal Code and Arms Act.
These embody crimes associated to the killing of leaders linked to Hindu organisations, organizing suspected terror camps, alleged radicalization of youth and hyperlinks with international terrorist organizations such because the Islamic State.
According to the MHA doc, the paperwork recovered through the years from PFI members embody paperwork on making IEDs utilizing available materials, a brochure and CD associated to Mission 2047 – a doc on changing India into Islamic State. Materials to do embody – handheld marine radio units, pen drives with pro-IS movies, ammunition, weapons, even bodily training information books.
The doc stated that the PFI and its flagship organisations, are current in 17 states and the group “encouraged” its cadres to “take such actions” which had been prejudicial to the upkeep of peace and concord between totally different spiritual teams.
PFI Office in New Delhi: Closed and Sealed. PTI
Officials stated some PFI employees, particularly from Kerala, had joined Islamic State and took part in terror actions in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Officials stated a few of them had been additionally killed in motion by safety forces in these conflict theatres.
In 2017, Kerala Police stated that six alleged PFI activists – they had been recognized as Abdul Gayoom, Abdul Manaf, Shabir, Suhail and his spouse Rizwana, Safwan – had joined Islamic State in Syria. Security businesses later discovered that Manaf and Shamir had been killed in Syria preventing with IS.
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The declaration of PFI and its associates as an “unlawful association” permits regulation enforcement businesses to freeze financial institution accounts, confiscate the property of those organizations – briefly, freeze their funding and actions.
That 12 months additionally, the NIA had filed a chargesheet towards eight individuals from Kerala for being members of the IS and selling its actions. It recognized certainly one of them as P Safwan, the graphic designer for Thejas, which is alleged to be the mouthpiece of the PFI.
PFI members practice in Kottayam, Kerala in 2010. PTI file
The MHA notification banning PFI additionally mentions its alleged hyperlinks with IS and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The NIA is at present probing 19 circumstances towards the PFI and its leaders.
The MHA doc mentions the homicide of a number of Hindu leaders the place PFI activists are suspected to be concerned: Praveen Nettaru’s homicide (July 2022); RSS employee Sanjeet (Kerala, 2021); Nandu (Kerala, 2021); V Ramalingam (Tamil Nadu, 2019); Abhimanyu (Kerala, 2018); Bibin (Kerala, 2017); Sharath (Karnataka, 2017); R Rudresh (Karnataka, 2016); Praveen Pujari (Karnataka, 2016) and Shashi Kumar (Tamil Nadu, 2016).
The PFI got here into limelight in 2010 when its activists reduce off the hand of a Kerala professor TJ Joseph, alleging blasphemy on a query requested in an examination paper.
Security personnel speak to Popular Front of India (PFI) activists protesting the NIA raid on PFI workplace in Chennai (PTI photograph)
The then UPA authorities handed over the case to the NIA which arrested a number of PFI activists and filed a cost sheet towards them. 13 individuals have been convicted on this case whereas 11 are going through trial. However, the primary accused fled the nation.
The MHA doc additionally mentions the restoration of arms and explosives from a coaching web site in Narath (Kannur) by the Kerala Police in April 2013. The case was transferred to the NIA and in 2016 41 PFI activists had been convicted.
The MHA doc states, “PFI secretly conducted training exercises and military-like exercises where participants were trained to use force against certain religious groups, which are perceived by the organization as enemies of Islam. was.”
It additionally mentions a case associated to a coaching camp organized by PFI in Nizamabad, Telangana this 12 months. NIA is now investigating the case. “The accused were conducting training camps for committing terrorist acts and promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion,” the NIA stated in a press release after its search.
Security personnel stand guard exterior the RSS workplace in Kochi on Wednesday. PTI
“The interrogation of the accused revealed that the PFI would identify Muslim youth, especially those from the poor or middle class, who were later linked and trained with anti-Hindu ideology. The training included the use of swords and nunchaks,” the MHA doc stated.
Among the seizures allegedly recovered by the businesses from suspected PFI activists is an IED-making brochure, recovered from close to one Mohammad Nadeem in Barabanki, UP.
The doc refers to a diary recovered by the Enforcement Directorate from one M Mohammad Ismail, which allegedly “revealed about a sinister conspiracy by the PFI to create a civil war-like situation in India”.
The doc flagged the funding of PFIs and claimed that greater than 100 financial institution accounts of PFIs don’t match the monetary profiles of the account holders. It stated it has withdrawn the registration standing of PFIs underneath sections 12A and 12AA of the IT Act.
In June, the ED connected property which included 23 financial institution accounts of PFI and 10 financial institution accounts of PFI’s entrance group Rehab India Foundation (RIF).
The ED stated, “An quantity of greater than Rs 60 crore has been deposited within the accounts of PFI, which incorporates money deposits of greater than Rs 30 crore since 2009. Similarly, about Rs 58 crore has been deposited within the accounts of RIF since 2010,” the ED stated. in a press release.
“This has been done as part of a larger criminal conspiracy by the PFI and its affiliated entities to raise funds in the country and abroad for carrying out various illegal activities, resulting in several FIRs against them for the commission of scheduled offences/ Complaints have been registered. With time and filing of chargesheet and conviction of its members/officers,” the ED stated.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
