Thiruvananthapuram: Protests broke out across Kerala after several top leaders of the Popular Front of India (PFI) were taken into custody following pan-India raids conducted jointly by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday.
According to information received, around 100 PFI activists, including its top national leaders, from about 50 places in the state have been detained.
The central agencies with the help of Central forces started the raids around 4 a.m. Surprisingly, the Kerala Police was kept in the dark.
While the ED is investigating a money laundering case, NIA is questioning the PFI leaders in connection with a terror-related case.
Among those who have been taken into custody are chairman OMA Salam, Nasarudhin Elamaram, P. Koya and several others.
Protesting against the raids and the custody, angry PFI workers took to the streets at various places in the state. A. Abdul Sathar, a top PFI functionary, termed it a part of the "RSS agenda" of "annihilating" the Muslims.
"We strongly object to this act of the Centre and we warn the authorities that if our detained leaders are not released, we will not sit idle. We will soon decide on the next course of action and it includes calling for a total 'Kerala shut down' on Friday," said Sathar.
The raids were conducted at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad.
Salam's son, who objected to the arrest, was moved using force by the Central forces.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports indicate the top leaders in custody are being moved to a few places, including Delhi.
The Popular Front of India (PFI) office in Hyderabad was seized and sealed on Thursday morning by National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Descending upon the PFI office in Chandrayanagutta locality of the capital city, NIA personnel conducted searches of the premises. Computer hard disks, pen drives, and documents were reportedly seized during the operations. The office was later sealed by the NIA officials.
Apart from Chandrayanagutta, the NIA is conducting raids in other parts of the city such as LB Nagar and Autonagar. Raids were conducted in Karimnagar city also.
Apart from making inquiries about past members of PFI, the NIA is also on the lookout for PFI members who are on the run.
As ED and NIA raided different parts of India, Maharashtra ATS sleuths arrested Saifur Rahman, said to be head of PFI Malegaon unit, from his house in the HUDCO Colony area of the city.
NIA officials assisted by ATS arrested Saifurrahman from his house at around 05:00 in the morning and took him to Nashik.
Malegaon does not have any office of PFI. Commenting on the raids, Irfan Daulat Nadvi said the activities of the PFI are in public domain and the organisation or its members have not been involved in any illegal activity. "The raids are to scare the PFI cadre in particular and Muslims in general", he said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken into custody Popular Front of India (PFI) national executive committee member A.S. Ismail during a raid at his residence in Coimbatore on Thursday. The NIA sleuths took Ismail in custody at Karumbakudi in Coimbatore. PFI cadres staged a protest outside his residence, and he was taken to an unknown destination.
#NIA & #ED with state cops raided Muslim organisation @PFIOfficial across 10 states. Hundreds of leaders including its Chairman @oma_salam taken into custody.Supporters raise slogans of "NIA go back" and call it a witch hunt to suppress their voices. + pic.twitter.com/gOdBjYRlrj— Syed Mueen (@Mueen_mgd) September 22, 2022
#NIA & #ED with state cops raided Muslim organisation @PFIOfficial across 10 states. Hundreds of leaders including its Chairman @oma_salam taken into custody.Supporters raise slogans of "NIA go back" and call it a witch hunt to suppress their voices. + pic.twitter.com/gOdBjYRlrj
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was giving the necessary security to the NIA sleuths during the raids.
A source in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Chennai told IANS that the raids were being undertaken as part of the national-level raids against the organisation.
Sources also told IANS that after the murder of the RSS leader, Sreenivasan at Palakkad in Kerala, the police had seized some incriminating documents, including about the PFI conducting training to cadres and preparing list of RSS workers and leaders to be eliminated.
Raids on locations related to Popular Front of India (PFI) are being carried out in eight places in Uttar Pradesh.
Mohammad Waseem, resident of Indira Nagar in Lucknow, has been taken away by the NIA sleuths, according to official sources.
Waseem runs a tailoring shop and digital documents were recovered from his possession during the raid.
NIA has also raided locations in Varanasi, Barabanki and Bahraich.
In Varanasi, the central agency raided places in Jaitpura and Adampur and two persons were taken into custody.
In Bahraich, one Nadeem, said to be the treasurer of PFI, was also detained.
The local police in these districts feigned complete ignorance about the raids.
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