Government of India bans PFI, 8 frontal bodies; declares them unlawful

HYDERABAD: Union Home Ministry has banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and eight of its frontal organisations. In a gazette notified on Tuesday, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs emphasised the reasons for imposing a ban on the PFI. As a result, the outlawed organisations cannot undertake any activity either in public or private.The other frontal organisations include Rehab Foundation India (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.

Investigations have established clear linkages between PFI and its associates. Rehab India Foundation collects funds through PFI members and some of the members of the PFl are also members of Campus Front of India, Empower India Foundation, Rehab Foundation, Kerala, and the activities of Junior Front, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO) and National Women's Front. They are all coordinated by the PFI.

The PFI has created the above mentioned associates or affiliates or fronts with objective of enhancing its reach among different sections of the society such as youth, students, women, Imams, lawvers or weaker sections of the society with the sole obicctive of expanding its membership, influence and fund raising capacity.

The frontal organisations have a "Hub and Spoke" relationship with the PFI acting as the Hub and utilizing the mass outreach and fund raising capacity of its associates or affiliates or fronts for strengthening its capability for unlawful activities and these associates or affiliates or fronts function as 'roots and capillaries" through which the PFl is fed and strengthened. ;

The PFI and its associates operate openly as socio-economic, educational and political organization but, they have been pursuing a secret agenda to radicalize a particular section of the society working towards undermining the concept of democracy and show sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority and constitutional set up of the country.

The PFI and its associates have been indulging in unlawful activities, which are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country and have the potential of disturbing public peace and communal harmony of the country and supporting militancy in the country.

Some of the PFI's founding members are the leaders of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the PFI has links with Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (MB), both of which are proscribed organisations.

There had been a number of instances of international linkages of PFI with Global Terrorist Groups like Islamic State of rag and Syna dISlo):

The PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts have been working covertly to increase radicalization of one community by promoting a sense of insecurity in the country, which is substantiated by the fact that the some PF1 cadres have joined international terrorist organisations. The Central Government is of the opinion that it is necessary to exercise its powers under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. 1967, (37 of 1967) (hereinafter referred to as the Act) in view of the above stated reasons, which is substantiated by the following facts; namely, the PFt is insolved in several criminal and terror cases and shows sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authonty of the country and with funds and ideological support from outside it has become a major threat to internal sceunity of the country, (11) (iv) investigations in various cases have revealed that the PFI and its cadres have been repeatedly engaging in violent and subversive acts. Criminal violent acts carried out by PFI include chopping-off limb of a college professor, cold blooded killings of persons associated with organisations espousing other faiths, obtaining explosives to target prominent people and places and destruction of public property, the PFI cadres have been involved in several terrorist acts and murder of several persons, including Sh. Sanjith (Kerala, November, 2021), Sh. V.Ramalingam, (Tamil Nadu, 2019), Sh. Nandu, (Kerala, 2021), Sh. Abhimanyu (Kerala, 2018), Sh. Bibin (Kerala, 2017), Sh. Sharath (Karnataka, 2017). Sh. R.Rudresh (Kamataka, 2016), Sh. Praveen Pujari (Karnataka, 2016), Sh. Sasi Kumar (Tamil Nadu, 2016) and Sh. Praveen Nettaru (Karnataka, 2022) and the above criminal activities and brutal murders have been carried out by PFI cadres for the sole objective of disturbing public peace and tranquility and creating reign of terror in public mind, there had been a number of instances of international linkages of PFI with Global Terrorist Groups and some activists of the PFI have joined Islamic State of Irag and Syria (ISIS) and participated in terror activities in Syria, Irag and Afghanistan. Some of these PFl cadres linked to ISIS have been killed in these conflict theaters and some have been arrested by State Police and Central Agencies and also the PFI has linkages with Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a proscribed terrorist organization, the Office bearers and cadres of the PFl along with others are conspiring and raising funds from within India and abroad through the banking channels, and the hawala, donations, etc. as part of a well-crafted criminal conspiracy, and then transferring, layering and integrating these funds through multiple accounts to project them as legitimate and eventually using these funds to carry out various camina. unlawful and terrorist activities in India.

The sources of deposits on behalf of the PFI with respect to its several bank accounts were not supnorted by the financial profiles of the account holders and the activities of PFI were not being carried out as per the income tax laws.

The PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts have been involved in the violent terrorist activities with an intent to create a reign of terror in the country, thereby endangering the security and public order of the state, and the anti-national activities of FF disrespect and disregard the constitutional authority and sovercignty of the state and hence an immediate and prompt action is required against the organisation.

The Central Govemment is of the opinion that if there is no immediate curb or control of unlawful activities of the PFI and its associates or attilates or fronts, the PFl and its associates will use this opportunity to continue their subversive activities, thereby disturbing publie order and undermining the constitutional set up of the country; encourage and enforce terror based regressive regime; continue propagating anti-national sentiments and radicalize a particular section of society with the intention to create disaffection against the country; aggravate activities which are detrimental fo the infegrity, security and sovereignty of the count.

Therefore, the Central Government, for the above-mentioned reasons, is firmly of the opinion that having regard to the activities of the PFI, it is necessary to declare the PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts to be unlawful association with immediate effect.