Delhi: Four PFI members arrested from Shaheen Bagh
A senior police officer said that it was the first arrest of any PFI member in Delhi after the Centre’s ban on People’s Front of India on September 28.
Four persons, allegedly networking for the outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI) even after ban on the organisation, were arrested by Delhi Police under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Sunday night. Despite the ban, the accused were spreading the PFI ideology and were making new members, the police said on Tuesday.
Confirming that these four members of the outlawed outfit have been arrested in a case registered against them under the UAPA at Shaheen Bagh police station of southeast district of Delhi Police, a senior Delhi police official said that during the raid of NIA in Shaheen Bagh, these four accused hatched a conspiracy and obstructed the government officials in discharging their duties.
“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. They were also found instrumental in making a strong network of PFI in Shaheen Bagh, Okhla and Jamia, despite after the ban on the organisation,” said the officer, asking not to be named.
Suman Nalwa, the deputy commissioner of police (public relations), said that on September 29, an FIR (No. 355/22) under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), besides section 10 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), was registered against the proscribed unlawful organisation PFI and its other associates and fronts at Shaheen Bagh police station.
“During investigation of the same, four accused persons namely Md Shoaib, Habib Asgar Jamali, Abdul Rabb and Warish have been arrested,” she said.
A senior special cell officer also said that it was the first arrest of any PFI member in Delhi, after the Centre’s ban on this outfit on September 28.
“Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, vide a gazette notification dated September 29 had declared and notified 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 affiliates, including Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), 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. We are still keeping a close eye on suspicious activities in these area through manual electronic surveillance. The CCTV footages in and around the suspicious localities are under constant surveillance, to avert any possibility of mishap,” he said, asking not to be named.
It may be noted that Delhi Police had conducted raids at PFI units in the national capital and arrested 33 of its alleged activists. The police had also recovered some electronic and documentary evidences during the raid.
