PFI banning and its impact

Pallab Bhattacharyya

(Pallab Bhattacharyya is a former director-general of police, Special Branch and erstwhile Chairman, APSC. Views expressed by him is personal. He can be reached at pallab1959@hotmail.com)

''The Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates or affiliates or fronts are involved in serious offences, including terrorism and its financing, targeting gruesome killings, disregarding the constitutional set up of the country, disturbing public order etc., which are prejudicial to the integrity, security and sovereignty of the country.

Therefore, the Ministry of Home Affairs found it necessary to curb the nefarious activities of the organization and has hence declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) along with its associates or affiliates or fronts including Rehab India Foundation (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 as an "unlawful association" under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967", a PIB press release dated 28th September enclosing the gazette notification S.O. 4559(E) dated 27-09-22 declared.

The PFI started in Kerala as a successor to National Development Front in 2006. It went on to merge with the Karnataka Forum for Dignity and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai of Tamilnadu, two like-minded organizations and later in 2009, with Goa's Citizen's Forum, Rajasthan's Community Social and Educational Society, West Bengal's Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Samiti, Manipur's Lilong Social Forum and Andhra's Association of Social Justice. This demonstrates the organizing capability of the members of the organization throughout the length and breadth of India.

The organization was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860) vide Registration No. S/226/ Dist. South/2010 in Delhi and it has many associates or affiliates or fronts, including Rehab India Foundation (RIF) (Registration Number 1352, dated 17.03.2008), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO) (Registration Number S-3256, dated 12.09.2010), National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation (Registration Number KCH-IV-00150/2016-17, dated 02.12.2016) and Rehab Foundation, Kerala (Registration Number 1016/91).

The website of the organization www.popularfrontindia.org, which was pulled down after the ban, when accessed earlier has indicated the following as its objectives, along with a host of other salutary steps.

To promote national integration, communal amity and social harmony and uphold the democratic set-up, secular order and rule of law in the country.

 To work for peace, progress and prosperity in the country and to strengthen goodwill and brotherhood among different communities.

 But if we study the history of PFI, its germ was planted through National Democratic Front in Kerala in 1994 after the demolition of Babri Masjid. When the pressure was mounted on this organization it renamed itself PFI as explained above in the year 2006. The fact that many of the members of SIMI, banned in the year 2001, is an eloquent testimony to the true character of the organization behind the façade of a democratic organization. Killing of 8 Hindus in the infamous Marad Massacre in the year 2003, its involvement in 27 murder and 86 attempted murder cases of mainly CPI(M) and RSS in 2012 as claimed by the then Kerala Government, the mass exodus of youths of the North East from the Southern States in the wake of Boro-Muslim conflict of 2012 strongly believed to be due to rumour raised by PFI, violent agitation on the issue of CAA in Guwahati at the initiative of PFI, the efforts by the organization to exciting communal feelings in its 13th foundation day in the year 2019 under the slogan "Defeat politics of Hate" etc indicate the tip of the iceberg of the anti-national activities of the organization. It is important to note here that during the 2012 Boro-Muslim conflict in BTAD, the Rehab India Foundation doled out relief to the victims.

 In Assam, the organization started its activity in 2015 and within a short time extended its influence to most of the districts of Assam. The chain of events like the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, globalization bringing radical thinking from foreign countries, the sporadic BTAD violence between Boro and Muslim communities, CAA agitation, NRC updating and D-Voter issue and proximity of Assam to Bangladesh are factors favourable for the growth of radical ideology propounded by the organization. It must however be admitted that the organization indeed took several welfare measures, particularly for the propagation of education among the minority communities through various programmes.

 The recent all-India raids by NIA, ED and the state police indicate the likely involvement of Hawala transactions in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 002 to fund their activities from countries inimical to India. Their now proscribed website also had provision for donations online exhorting the public worldwide on the pretext of Zakat which is an obligatory tax required of Muslims and is considered one of the five pillars of Islam.

 Though the organization has been banned as an unlawful association, the investigating agencies will have to be on maximum alert in their investigation to stand the periodic judicial scrutiny of its prescription through Tribunal formed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 and this will be a real test for police and intelligence agencies. The withdrawal of the ban by the High Court on PFI in Jharkhand is an eloquent testimony to the above contention.

So far as NE in general and Assam, in particular, is concerned, the PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts which used to operate openly as a socio-economic, educational and political organization but had 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, is the real cause of concern. It is strongly felt that to avert the likely impact of radicalization taking place in the state which is demonstrated through apprehension of JMB, ABT, other affiliates of AQIS etc, the government should take appropriate proactive steps for the creation of a congenial atmosphere of counter-radicalization in the state through the active cooperation of all the stakeholders-Hindus, Muslims and the State and bring peace to the syncretic and pluralistic culture of India in general and Assam in particular. The prophetic saying by Dr Martin Luther King Jr is a grim reminder of the reality "We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools".