PFI, its modus operandi and why it will not last the year

The divisive anti-India forces are counting their last days in India. The security agencies have launched nationwide search operations to wipe out the menace of terrorism and radicalisation from the country. Evidently, a few days earlier, National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out raids at 60 locations linked with Islamist and Khalistani terrorists.

Within no time, the security agencies have again launched a massive crackdown against terrorism and radicalisation. In nationwide anti-terror operations, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and NIA raided several places linked with the infamous extremist Islamist outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI).

Zero-tolerance against Extremism and Terrorism

The joint security team of NIA, ED and State Police carried out raids at multiple locations across 11 states. They conducted raids at the houses of PFI’s state and district level leaders including OMA Salam, PFI chairman in Manjeri, Malappuram district & other PFI offices.

In the “largest-ever investigation process”, the security agencies arrested around 106 members, including top leaders, of the extremist Islamic outfit – PFI. The maximum number of arrests happened in Kerala (22). Notably, Kerala is claimed to be the hotbed for such extremist organisations.

Also Read: NIA to close down PFI-operated ‘karate centre’

Similarly, the arrests from other states include- Karnataka (20), Maharashtra (20), TN (10), Assam (9), UP (8), Andhra Pradesh (5), MP (4), Delhi (3), Puducherry (3) and Rajasthan (2).

Also Read: PFI gets its just desserts

These raids were carried out at the residential and official premises of suspects involved in “funding terrorism, organising training camps and radicalising minority community to join proscribed organisations”. Evidently, the NIA alleged that the arrested accused were “organising camps for imparting training to commit terrorist acts and to promote enmity between different groups on the basis of religion”.

Later in the day, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a security meeting with top officials, including NSA Ajit Doval. The meeting was held to discuss the actions taken against the radical outfit – PFI and terror suspects.

Earlier, NIA raided 40 places in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in cases linked with PFI. Back then, it arrested four members of the outfit. During those raids, the NIA seized incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents, two daggers and Rs 8,31,500 cash from the places of these suspected members.

Tracing the Shoddy History of PFI

In 2006, PFI came into existence after the merger of three Muslim organisations – the National Development Front of Kerala, Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Manitha Neethi Pasari of Tamil Nadu. In its early years, it was headquartered in Kozhikode, Kerala.

PFI’s Kerala President Nasaruddin Elamarom is one of the founding leaders of the outfit. Additionally, PFI’s All-India President E Abubaker also hails from Kerala. Later, it expanded its ideology of hatred in several other states and shifted its HQ to Delhi.

Also Read: PFI’s radicalism threatens other Islamists as well

In 2012, the Congress government led by Oommen Chandy informed the Kerala High Court that PFI was nothing but a resurrection of the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

The government affidavit accused that the PFI activists were involved in 27 cases of murder, mostly of CPM and RSS cadres. It alleged that the motives of these cases were communal in nature.

In 2014, the Kerala government submitted another affidavit in the High Court. In its affidavit, the communist government highlighted the modus operandi of this extremist organisation.

As per the affidavit, PFI promotes conversion, communalise issues to further the agenda of Islamisation, indoctrination of Muslim youth and killing all those who doesn’t believe in theri ideology of hatred.

The Kerala government affidavit stated that the PFI had a clandestine agenda of “Islamisation of society by promoting conversion, communalisation of issues with a view to the benefit of Islam, recruitment, and maintenance of a branded committed indoctrinated Muslim youth for undertaking actions including selective elimination of persons, who in their perception are enemies of Islam”.

Appeasement Politics bolstered the confidence of PFI in Karnataka

In its initial time, the violent extremist group had a minor presence in Kerala. But thanks to appeasement and spineless politics, it became successful in expanding its presence in the rest of the country.

Evidently, the Congress government in 2013 dropped criminal cases against SDPI and PFI members. The previous government led by BJP, accused these members of being involved in creating communal disturbances in the state. These cases were related to protests and communal flare-ups in Shivamogga (114 cases from 2015), Mysuru (40 cases from 2009), Hassan (21 cases from 2010), and Karwar (1 case in 2017).

However, the then Siddaramaiah government dropped a total of 176 cases filed against 1,600 PFI activists. This emboldened the Islamic outfit and it increased its pace and institutionalised the industry of hatred and violence.

Also Read: Is there a PFI hand in the Karauli violence in Rajasthan?

The PFI have been accused in multiple cases of murder, rioting, intimidation, and having links with terrorist organisations.

Reportedly,  the PFI has an active presence in 22 states. As per intelligence agencies, the PFI exploited the sentiments of the community in the garb of projecting itself as their saviour. This falsified image of saviour is used by the extremist outfit to raise funds particularly from middle-eastern countries.

Apart from NIA, the ED is also tightening its grip on this extremist group. The financial watchdog agency has been investigating the PFI’s alleged “financial links” in various protests and communal clashes.

The PFI has been charged with fuelling the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in the country. Further, it is accused of conspiring the Delhi riots that took place in February, 2020 ; alleged conspiracy in the Hathras (a district in Uttar Pradesh) case of alleged gang-rape and death of a Dalit woman, and a few other instances.

In February 2021, the financial agency filed a charge-sheet against PFI and its student wing Campus Front of India (CFI) on money laundering charges. It claimed that the members of these groups tried to “incite communal riots and spread terror” in the aftermath of the alleged Hathras gang-rape.

Later, in its subsequent charge-sheet a year later, the ED claimed that a hotel based in the UAE “served” as a money laundering front for the PFI.

The latest crackdown of the security agencies gives a clear indication that the PFI is counting its last days. It has caused a lot of bloodshed and taken several innocent lives in Delhi, Bengaluru, Karauli (Rajasthan) and other parts of India. The Islamic outfit is on the verge of getting banned in India and suffers the same fate as its predecessor SIMI did.

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