Fresh crackdown against PFI: Over 150 arrested in Delhi, Maharashtra and other states - Top developments

New Delhi: More than 150 persons associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) were detained or arrested by police forces in massive crackdown across the country on Tuesday.

The maximum number of detentions were reported in Karnataka's Bengaluru city, followed by Delhi and Assam. Raids are also currently underway in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier in the week, more than 106 members of PFI were arrested by the NIA and the ED. Lookout Circulars were also issued against two of the PFI members on Monday.

-- Twenty-five people were arrested for having alleged links with the Popular Front of India in Maharashtra. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured the action was taken based on evidence.

-- In a fresh crackdown in Assam, 25 PFI activists were arrested from different districts of Assam. Goalpara accounted for the highest number of arrested. The person were apprehended from Lakhipur, Dhupdhara, Rongjuli and Goalpara town.

-- Over 80 people were detained by the Karnataka Police having links with the PFI and Social Democratic Party of India. The accused were reportedly from Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Kolar, Raichur, Gadag, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Mandya, Ramanagara, Udupi, Chamarajanagar, Kalaburagi, Hubballi, and Dharwad.

-- Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra informed that the police detained 21 people from eight districts of the state over links with the Popular Front of India. The accused were arrested from Indore, Ujjain, Neemuch, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Sheopur, Bhopal and Guna.

--In a joint operation of the Anti Terrorist Squad, Special Task Force and the local police, 57 people were taken into custody in raids across 26 districts of Uttar Pradesh against the PFI and its frontal organisations.

--The Pune Police detained six people linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

--KSRTC moved the Kerala High Court seeking compensation of Rs 5.06 crore from the Popular Front of India. Several KSRTC buses were damaged during the statewide hartal organised by the PFI on September 23.

-- In Karnataka, more than 75 PFI and SDPI workers and leaders have been taken into preventive custody, including the SDPI Yadgiri district president. Cases have been booked under sections 108, 151 CrPC, confirmed Alok Kumar, ADGP Law & Order, Bengaluru.

-- In Mangaluru, several PFI members have been taken into preventive custody by the city police. The cases have been registered under CrPC 107/151, said N Shashi Kumar, CP Mangaluru City.

-- "Based on intelligence inputs, we conducted raids and caught over 80 people associated with PFI & SDPI. 20 more people are also being questioned. They have been sent to preventive custody. They were planning to incite communal violence/public disorder," said Karnataka ADGP (Law & Order).

-- All India Imams Council state chief Maulana Irfan Daulat Nadvi and PFI member Rashid Shahdain Shaheed Iqbal have been taken into custody by Nashik Police Crime Branch u/s 151 late last night, said Police Inspector Hemant Patil.

-- Pune Police detained 6 persons with links to SDPI and PFI from Kondhwa area today morning. More detail awaited.

-- "Around 40 people linked to PFI have been detained from Aurangabad, Solapur, Amravati, Pune, Thane and Mumbai so far. This entire operation has been carried out by the state's local police with inputs from a Central Agency. All inquiries are underway," said Maharashtra Police.

-- Union Home Ministry, MoS, Ajay Mishra Teni said, "We have got suspicious info against PFI. Raids were conducted on the basis of inputs we received. Some people were arrested too. The raids are underway, searches will happen as per the info we will receive further."

-- Joint raids by a central agency and Delhi Police are also underway at places related to PFI in different parts of the national capital including Nizamuddin, Shaheen Bagh area. A total of 32 people have been arrested so far in Delhi, confirmed the police.

-- As per latest reports, Section 144 has been imposed in the national capital's Jamia Nagar and New Friends Colony localities.

-- Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora will hold a meeting shortly, related to the raids against PFI in the national capital. Special CP to brief the Commissioner on the overnight raids and recovery, said Delhi Police sources.

-- Reacting to PFI raids and ban, senior IUML leader MK Muneer said, "For a long time, there was no cases registered against PFI. When this LDF govt was in power for nearly 7 years, no case was registered. Its only after the NIA started registering cases, arrest took place. However, we don't believe that banning PFI is a solution. We should be able to fight their ideology and expose them. Banning is not a permanent solution. If that was the case, when RSS was banned, it did not stop them from operating again. So, the only option is to socially boycott such organisations. These groups should not get any legitimacy anywhere."

-- An investigation has revealed that PFI has its own 'intelligence unit' which operates at district level where the outfit has a stronghold. This unit directly reports to district president. It has been revealed that Intel unit of PFI keeps a close tab on local police and local intelligence unit.

-- Earlier today, four persons linked with PFI were detained from the Nagarbera area. "Our operation against PFI is on in many parts of the district," said Hiren Nath, ADGP (Special Branch) Assam.

-- As many as 25 PFI leaders/members have been arrested so far today in districts including Kamrup Rural (5), Goalpara (10), Karimganj (1), Udalguri (1), Darrang (1), Dhubri (3), Barpeta (2), Baksa (2). "This operation will be intensified," said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

-- In Gujarat, at least 10 people have been detained for questioning over links with Popular Front of India (PFI), said a police official.

-- Madhya Pradesh Police have caught 21 people associated with PFI from 8 districts. Links about them were found after the people who were arrested last week were interrogated, confirmed State Home Minister Narottam Mishra.

-- In a joint operation, UP ATS and UP STF took more than a dozen PFI leaders into custody in raids across the state, said a police source. UP ADG (L&O) Prashant Kumar said 57 PFI linked suspects have been picked up from 26 districts in the state. Action will be taken and cases registered accordingly as per law once collected evidence are collated.