PFI ban for 5 years: How NIA raids built case

The National Investigation Agency in mid-September launched a massive nationwide search operation in connection with anti-terror activities. The operation, being described as the “largest ever”, involved searches across 15 states, and led to the arrest of over 270 people — including the raids on Tuesday -- linked to the Popular Front of India or PFI.O.M.A. Salam, chairman of the PFI, was also later arrested. The raids took place in states like Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Bihar, besides several others.The PFI, which emerged in the aftermath of the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India or SIMI, has called itself an organisation that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits, and marginalised communities.It has frequently targeted the alleged anti-people policies of the Congress, the BJP, and the JD-S in Karnataka, as well as in other states.Bharti Jain, senior editor with The Times of India, explains why the raids took place, and how it is part of a continuous crackdown on the PFI by investigative agencies like the National Investigative Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).The NIA, in its submission to the court, claimed the PFI is working to establish Islamic rule in India through violent jihad.The PFI, which has called itself a social organisation much along the lines of the RSS and VHP in the Hindu community, has been in the news for a slew of accusations against it by agencies like the NIA and ED.In 2009, the PFI launched a political outfit named Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), with the aim of taking up political issues of Muslims, Dalits, and other marginalised communities.The PFI has the most visible presence in Kerala, where it has been repeatedly accused of murder, rioting, intimidation, and having links with terrorist organisations. However, in the recent raids, a large number of its members were also arrested from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar and Assam.Audio production: Basant Singhal