Assam: 3 More Members of Banned PFI Arrested from Kamrup District

GUWAHATI: Three PFI members have been detained in Nagarbera, a town in Assam's Kamrup district. Kamrup Superintendent of Police (SP) Hitesh Ch. Ray affirmed this.

In particular, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, which was passed in September, forbade PFI, its allies, and affiliates from operating as an unlawful association with immediate effect for a period of five years.

The Kamrup SP Hitesh Ch. Ray also stated that, "After executing a drive in the neighbourhood on Thursday night, three members of the outlawed PFI were captured in Nagarbera. Another person connected to PFI has also been taken into custody.

The three people that were taken into custody are known as Hafijur Rahman, Nazrul Islam, and Rafiqul Islam. Rafiqul Islam reportedly serves as the Samoria Anchalik Panchayat's president.

The ban was placed against PFI and its associates, affiliates, or fronts for "engaging in unlawful activities, which are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty, and security of the country and have the potential to disturb public peace and communal harmony of the country and support militancy in the country," according to the notification.

Similar to this, Assam police have detained 25 additional leaders and members of the Popular Front of India (PFI)  in September, bringing the total number of detainees from the group in the state to 36.

The arrested people were Nazrul Islam Bhuyan, Abdul Razzak, Aminul Hoque, Robiul Hussain, Abu Sama Ahmed, Rafiqul Islam, Farhad Ali, Khalilur Rahman, Mufti Rahmatullah, Minarul Sheikh and Bazlul Karim.

All 11 leaders have been charged with violating sections 120-B, 124-A, 153-A, and 353 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal conspiracy, sedition, encouraging hostility between various groups, and using violence or criminal force to prevent public servant from performing their duties, according to the police.

As per the sources, PFI which was established in 2006 as a result of the union of the National Development Front (NDF) and the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) was often accused by The Indian government of taking part in anti-social and anti-national actions. The Kerala government asserted in 2012 that the group was a revival of the Indian Mujahideen affiliate Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), a terrorist organisation that had been outlawed.

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