Raids were carried out in several parts of Karnataka by law enforcement authorities against members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in which several leaders of the organisation were arrested.
Additional director general of police (ADGP) law and order Alok Kumar said raids were conducted based on inputs of a conspiracy hatching to create unrest in the state. “The raids are happening across the state. We will provide more information once the raids are over,” he said.
Raids were carried out in Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Mangaluru, Hassan, Bidar, Chikkaballapura, Raichur, and Ramanagara among other places in which around 50 persons are reported to have been taken into custody.
“The BJP government is doing this and creating an atmosphere of terror. The NIA has carried out so many raids but has not gotten any proof. We are not anti-nationals. We are protesting legally and won’t tolerate them taking away our leaders in the dead of the night. If they don’t release them, we will have to continue our protests. We are not going to get scared of the police and NIA and will legally continue our protests,” said one member of the PFI from Raichur.
The fresh round of raids come days after coordinated arrests by the NIA across several states in which around 50 prominent leaders were arrested. “The BJP has been a failure in India and Karnataka. Since they have nothing to do in front of the people, they are attempting these things,” PFI member added.
In Kolar district, six people were arrested.
In Chamarajanagar, two people have been detained. In Dakshina Kannada, district 11 PFI and SDPI members were taken into custody while 20 PFI members have been detained in Shivamogga.
Seven PFI and SDPI members have been arrested in Bagalkot district and have been sent to judicial custody till October 3. In Raichur, two PFI leaders were arrested and one of them has been remanded to judicial custody.
Reacting to the crackdown on PFI, former chief minister BS Yediyurappa said PFI must be banned.
“The Centre has come forward to ban the PFI. They must have done it much earlier. A thorough probe will reveal the conspiracy hatched by the PFI. It was planning to destabilise the central government,” Yediyurappa said.
Protests were reported across the state against the crackdown.
On Thursday, scores of Popular Front of India (PFI) activists were detained or arrested as the National Investigation Agency (NIA)-led multi-agency raids on the premises of the organisation and people linked to it as part of a nationwide crackdown across 10 states for allegedly supporting terror activities.
During those crackdown in Karnataka, simultaneous raids were conducted in Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi, Davanagere, Raichur and Koppal.
According to officials, the NIA sleuths have taken into custody Azeez Abdul Shukur Honnavar from Sirsi, PFI district president of Kalaburagi Ejaj Ali, Shahid Khan, SDPI president in Shivamogga, former Mysuru president Maulana Mohammad Kaleemulla, Imamuddin from Davanagere, and Abu Tahir from Harihara town.
The day after, Bengaluru police arrested 14 people on charges of spreading communal hatred and hatching criminal conspiracies. Most of the arrested were workers of PFI.
Police commissioner CH Pratap Reddy, said the suspects were picked up for questioning in connection with a suo motu case registered at the city’s KG Halli police station.
A court in Bengaluru had remanded these 14 people to police custody till October 3.