Major crackdown: UP Police arrests 108 PFI members in 4 days, reveals link to anti-CAA protests

Lucknow, Feb 03: Police in Uttar Pradesh has arrested 108 members of the Popular Front of India in the last four days for their alleged involvement in protests against the anti-citizenship law, a senior official said on Monday.

Out of the 108, four PFI members have been arrested from Muzaffarnagar in the state, while the others were held from different parts of Uttar Pradesh.

The arrests are in addition to the 25 made earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi told reporters. He noted that the PFI was established on November 22, 2006, after the imposition of the ban on SIMI.

"This is just the beginning. We will get to the roots of the organisation. A probe is also going on about their financial dealings. We are in touch with central agencies and are sharing information with them," he said.

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) report had indicated a massive PFI hand in inciting violence by Muslim mobs all across Uttar Pradesh. It had also revealed several transactions to 73 bank accounts worth Rs 120 crores.