Accused were planning anti-India activities: 4 PFI members arrested at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, days after ban

New Delhi: Four members allegedly linked with the extremist group Popular Front of India (PFI) were arrested on Monday under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in Delhi’s Shaheed Bagh area, the Delhi police confirmed on Tuesday. The arrests came just days after the Centre, in a major crackdown on anti-national organisations, formally banned PFI and eight of its subsidiaries for the next five years. Notably, this is the first PFI-related arrest made by the police in the national capital.

Later, Delhi's Patiala House Court sent all four PFI accused on 3 days of police remand.

According to a senior Delhi police official, a case under IPC sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) along with section 10 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has been registered against the arrested members at Shaheen Bagh police station following specific inputs.

Accused were planning to disrupt public order in Delhi: Delhi police

As per the police, the arrested accused were conspiring to disrupt the public order to target the government despite the ban on the organisation’s activities. The Delhi police received the input that some addresses in Shaheen Bagh, Abdul Fazal Enclave and Jamia Nagar were used for the purposes of carrying out unlawful activities of the PFI and its associates or affiliates.

"The leaders, members and associates of the proscribed unlawful association/s are, in continuation of their unlawful activities, conspiring further to cause massive disruption of public order by promoting communal enmity and for the purposes, are mobilising supporters for spreading incitement at various places of worship, the FIR stated.

The Union Home Ministry on September 29 announced a formal ban on the extremist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) alleging its link with the Islamic Terror groups like ISIS, Students Islamic Movement of India and Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Apart from PFI, other affiliated outfits of PFI have also been banned under UAPA. The organisations which were also declared banned include Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CF), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation (NCHRO), National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.