The PFI’s one-point agenda was attacks on Hindus

The PFI and its various front organisations had a presence in over 17 states in the country and over 1,300 criminal cases had been registered by the police and the NIA against its cadres and front organisations in different states.

New Delhi, Sep 29: The Ministry of Home Affairs which banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) and 8 of its associate fronts had found that the outfit was the most potent radical Muslim outfit and its members were involved in various acts of violence.

The PFI had its presence in 17 states and it encouraged its cadre to indulge in acts of violence and create disharmony in the community. The agencies which have prepared several dossiers on the outfit learnt that some of the operatives especially from Kerala had left India and joined the Islamic State apart from taking part in terror activities in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Linkages with the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were also found.

The MHA had also taken note of cases of murder of pro-Hindu leaders by the cadres of the PFI. They include R Rudresh, Nandu, Sasi Kumar, Praveen Poojari, Sharat and Abhimanyu.

The Enforcement Directorate, which was part of the raids along with the National Investigation Agency, had found that the PFI had received funding from dubious channels both from India and abroad. Officials tell OneIndia that the probe agencies had under their scanner over 100 bank accounts and they found them not to be matching with the profile of the account holders.

PFI's presence:

The NIA also said that the PFI and its various front organisations had a presence in over 17 states in the country and over 1,300 criminal cases had been registered by Police and NIA against cadres of PFI and its front organisations in different states.

The agencies also shared details of alleged terror acts which included a manual on how to make an IED using easily available materials. This document was recovered from Mohammed Nadeem, the PFI leader from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh.

The NIA and ED carried out raids across the country in the past two weeks. Over 300 arrests were carried out following the raids.

The Intelligence Bureau has said that the PFI is violent in nature. Their one point agenda is to attack the Right Wing. They preach to their cadres that attacking those who oppose Islam would earn them religious rewards. The PFI has been accused of chopping off a professor's hand who had allegedly hurt religious sentiments in Kerala. 37 PFI cadres were arrested. In an affidavit before the Kerala High Court, it was submitted that the PFI was involved in 27 murders. In another report, the Kerala government said that there were 87 attempt to murder cases against PFI cadres.

The NIA says that the PFI follows a policy aimed at communalisation. It believes in a Taliban brand of Islam and triggers divide and also has a group of volunteers for physical activity.

"PFI had consistently been indulging in actions detrimental to overall national security." The NIA also cited the probe into the Love Jihad case. It said that it is using sister organisations such as Sathya Sarani based in Malappuram which carries out forced conversions.

The founding:

The dossier pointed out that many of PFI's founding leaders were associated with SIMI before it was banned. This includes former PFI chairman E M Abdurahiman, who was all-India general secretary of SIMI in 1980-81 and 1982-93, PFI national vice-chairman P Koya who was with SIMI in 1978-79 and SDPI president E Aboobacker who was Kerala state president of SIMI in 1982-84, among others.

The PFI has its presence in 23 states and is the strongest in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It has a machinery to meet violent ends, the dossier also states.

The outfit has squads of trainers and experts in making crude bombs and IEDs, an intelligence wing and action squads to run unlawful and violent activities. It has clandestine training centres, where training in martial arts and indoctrination is given.