PFI’s Jan 5 rally denied permission by West Bengal police
Kolkata, Jan 03: The Popular Front of India (PFI), an alleged radical islamic outfit, was on Friday denied permission for an anti-citizenship law rally scheduled on Sunday in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, a senior police officer said.
The
Kerala-based
organisation,
following
the
denial
of
approval,
decided
to
"postpone
its
meeting
for
the
time
being",
PFI
West
Bengal
general
secretary
Manirul
Sheikh
said.
"They
(PFI)
had
applied
for
permission
to
hold
a
rally
in
Murshidabad
district
on
January
5.
However,
we
haven't
given
them
approval,"
the
police
officer
said.
Meanwhile,
TMC
MP
Abu
Taher
Khan
has
lodged
a
police
complaint
against
the
PFI
for
adding
his
name
in
the
list
of
speakers
for
the
Sunday
rally
without
seeking
his
consent.
"I
had
lodged
a
police
complaint
as
they
had
used
my
name
in
their
posters
as
one
of
the
speakers
without
taking
prior
permission
from
me,"
Taher
said.
The Uttar Pradesh government had recently written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a ban on the organisation for its alleged involvement in violence across the state during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
According to TMC sources, PFI would not be allowed to hold meeting rallies in any other part of the state too as the party wants to maintain a distance from the outfit.
"We have information that PFI and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) may join hands in Bengal. Their main aim is to divide the minority votes in the state. But we are confident that PFI-AIMIM won't be able to do it," a senior TMC leader said.
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According to TMC and police sources, PFI has considerable organisational presence in Malda and Murshidabad and it was allegedly behind the violence and protests that rocked these two districts during December 13-17 against the amended Citizenship Act.