The Popular Front of India (PFI) has called for a dawn-to –dusk hartal in Kerala on Friday in protest against the massive raids by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate(ED) on its offices and residences of its leaders in 11 states and arrests of its around 106 activists across the country over charges of terror funding and money laundering.
“A hartal will be observed in the state on September 23 against the RSS-controlled fascist government’s attempt to silence dissenting voices using the central agencies,” said a statement from A Abdul Sathar, state general secretary of the PFI.
PFI’s National Executive Council (NEC) condemned the raids and the ‘unjust arrests and the harassment’ of its leaders across India and the ‘witch-hunting’ against the members and supporters of the organisation.
“NEC has condemned the national-wide raids by the NIA and ED and the unjust arrests and the harassment of its National and state leaders across India and the witch-hunting against the members, and supporters of the organization,” PFI’s National Executive Council (NEC) said in a statement.
It said that the Front will “never ever surrender” on the action taken by a “totalitarian regime”.
As part of the massive, multi agency crackdown on the popular Front of India (PFI) across the country, the NIA and the ED conducted raids at the PFI offices across Kerala and also the residences of the outfits leaders in the state. The NIA arrested 22 people who are national and state leaders of the Popular Front in Kerala. Eight of them have been taken to Delhi.
PFI national president OMA Salam, state president Mohammad Basheer, Pathanamthitta district secretary Sadiq Muhammad, Mundakkayam native Najimuddin, PFI leader P Koya, national vice president Abdul Rahman Kalamassery , PFI Idukki district secretary Zainuddin are o the prominent leaders in NIA custody.TFI state committee member Yahya Thangal was taken into custody from Trissur.
The raids were conducted after deploying CRPF, without informing the state government and the Kerala police. Mobile phones , Tablets and Laptops were seized in the raids, sources said> It is learnt that the raids were conducted to details of terror funding, money laundering and training camps for terrorist activities.