LAGATAR24 NETWORK
New Delhi, Sept 29: When asked about his reaction to banning PFI, Anis Ahmed, General Secretary of PFI told a BBC reporter with confidence that there is no technical ground for a ban on PFI. Those unaware of the deeds of PFI believed in his confidence.
This confidence was shaken to its core in the wee hours of September 22, 2022, when the country’s premier investigation agency NIA in collaboration with ED and State Police conducted searches in 93 locations in 15 states of India including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, UP and West Bengal. The houses and offices of the entire top leadership of PFI were searched and subsequent arrests were made.
PFI has a past record of indulging in funding terrorism and terrorist activities, organising training camps for providing armed training, radicalising people to join banned organisations etc. However, due to their cunningness and strong legal support backed by money might, the top leadership always got away. This time, they were not so lucky and the law of the land finally caught up with them.
Apart from cases registered by NIA, 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 including criminal acts which range from 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, destruction of public property, acts with intent to strive terror in the minds of the citizens etc.
NIA is presently investigating a total of 19 PFI-related cases and as part of the investigation, conducted searches across India and arrested 45 leaders of PFI. 19 arrests have been made under FIR No. RC/14/2022/NIA/DLI, two arrests under RC/41/2022/DLI. Eight arrests under RC/42/2022/NIA/DLI, eleven arrests under RC/2/2022/NIA/KOC and five arrests under RC 3/2022/NIA/HYD. The sheer scale of arrests can be judged by the fact that this time, NIA left no loopholes and arrested all the prime accused in the case including OMA Salam, Prof Koya, EM Abdul Rahiman, Anis Ahmed, Abdul Wahid Sait, M. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Abdul Waris etc.
Addressing a press conference after the arrests, Mohammad Quis Anwar Shaikh, Pune District President of PFI said that NIA raids were illegal and unconstitutional and PFI members were framed under false terror charges. However, he tactfully evaded response on the recovery of documents, cash, sharp-edged weapons and a large number of digital devices. It would have been much better if Quis Anwar would have thrown light on the dark past of PFI. Back in 2012, the then Kerala government had informed the High Court that the PFI was nothing but a resurrection of the banned outfit SIMI. Those who may have any doubt, the helm of affairs in Kerala at that time was handled by the Congress government.
Again in 2014, the Kerala government in another affidavit told the High Court that PFI had an 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 youths for undertaking actions including selective elimination of persons, who in their perception are enemies of Islam.
The PFI never represented the common Muslim of India as Indian Muslims have been circuit breakers in the cycle of radicalisation and terrorism. The recent arrests were a logical step in the direction of containing PFI’s campaign of hate and communal violence. A nationwide ban on PFI was the only solution.
