NIA's pan-India crackdown on PFI code-named 'Operation Octopus'

The largestever crackdown that was conducted against the Popular Front of India PFI members spread across 15 states was codenamed Operation Octopus sources said on SaturdayThe joint teams of the National Investigative Agency NIA and Enforcement Directorate ED arrested over 106 PFI members in multiple raids spread across several states on September 22The states where the raids were conducted included Andhra Pradesh 4 places Telangana 1 Delhi 19 Kerala 11 Karnataka 8 Tamil Nadu 3 Uttar Pradesh 1 Rajasthan 2 Hyderabad 5 Assam Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Goa West Bengal Bihar and ManipurThe searches were conducted in connection with five cases registered by the NIA following continued inputs and evidence that the PFI leaders and cadres were involved in the funding of terrorism and terrorist activities organising training camps for providing armed training and radicalising people to join banned organisationsAlso read Stone pelting violence mar PFI hartal in KeralaA large number of criminal cases have been registered in different states over the last few years against the PFI and its leaders and members for their involvement in many violent actsCriminal violent acts carried out by PFI include chopping off the hand of a college professor coldblooded killings of persons associated with organisations espousing other faiths collection of explosives to target prominent people and places support to Islamic State and destruction of public propertyThey have had a demonstrative effect of striking terror in the minds of the citizensThe PFI had on Friday called for a 12hour shutdown in Kerala which turned violent in parts of the state Stonepelting was witnessed at various places including at the RSS office at Mattannur in KannurTwo police officials were also injured in the incident in KollamThe Kerala High Court initiated a suo motu case against PFI leaders who called for a strike in the state against the arrest of its members by the NIANotably as per a Kerala HC order on January 7 2019 nobody can call for a bandh in the state without prior notice of seven daysTaking cognizance of the matter the court directed the police to ensure that adequate measures are put in place to prevent any damagedestruction to publicprivate property of Governmentcitizens who do not support the call for hartalAdequate police protection shall also be granted to all public utility services that apprehend violence at the hands of those supporting the illegal hartal the court addedMeanwhile PFI on Thursday while condemning the raids by the NIA and the ED against its leaders stated that it will never surrender and alleged that the agencys claims are aimed at creating an atmosphere of terrorNIAs baseless claims and sensationalism are solely aimed at creating an atmosphere of terror Popular Front will never ever surrender on any scary action by a totalitarian regime using the central agencies as its puppets and will stand firm on its will for recovering the democratic system and spirit of the constitution of our beloved country PFI said in a statementAll India Muslim Jamaat president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi on Friday called upon the Muslim community to stay away from the Popular Front of India PFI calling it a radical group and urged the central government to impose a ban on itMaulana Razvi welcomed the arrest of the PFI leaders across the countryPFI is a radical organisation Its members follow a radicalised ideology I would appeal to all Sufi and Sunni Muslims to stay away from this organisation The PFI has been named in many incidents across the country It is necessary that there should be a ban on these kinds of organisations said RazviOn the contrary slamming the Centre over the National Investigation Agencys nationwide crackdown against the Popular Front of India Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi on Friday dubbed it a conspiracy to finish MuslimsHe claimed that attempts were made to ban PFISpeaking to ANI Rashidi said The way Congress had banned SIMI in the same way attempts are being made to ban PFI There should be action against the organisation which works against the country but if you take action against the organisation only because it is working for the upliftment of Muslims and you are trying to declare it a terror organisation it is against the law and Constitution These are the same people who dub the ones studying in a madrassa as terrorists This is a conspiracy to finish MuslimsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever