Two more PFI members arrested from north-east Delhi under UAPA

According to the FIR, the two men, identified as Israr Ali Khan of Khajuri Khas and Mohammad Samoon of Chand Bagh, were allegedly networking for the PFI even after the organisation was banned on September 28 by the Union government.

Continuing with its crackdown on the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliates, the Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested two alleged PFI members under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for their alleged suspicious activities.

The PFI (Popular Front of India) office at Shaheen Bagh. The Centre has banned the outfit over alleged terror funding charges. (Salman Ali/HT Photo)

According to the FIR lodged at the Khajuri Khas police station in north-east Delhi, the two men, identified as Israr Ali Khan of Khajuri Khas and Mohammad Samoon of Chand Bagh, were allegedly networking for the PFI even after the organisation was banned on September 28 by the Union government and were allegedly spreading the PFI ideology and enlisting new members.

A senior Delhi Police officer said the FIR against them has been registered under the sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections 10 and 13 of the UAPA.

“They were arrested because of their involvement in planning and conspiring against the government and the country. As this FIR falls under the ”sensitive” category, more details on the case cannot be disclosed,” he said, asking not to be named.

He further said that this was the second FIR against PFI members to be registered under the UAPA since the ban. “Earlier on September 29, an FIR under sections 120B and 153A of the IPC, besides Section 10 of the UAPA, was registered against the organisation and its affiliates at the Shaheen Bagh police station. During investigation of this case, four persons -- Md Shoaib, Habib Asgar Jamali, Abdul Rabb and Warish -- were arrested,” he said.

Before the ban, the Delhi Police conducted raids at different PFI officers in the national capital and arrested 33 of its members. The police said it has recovered crucial electronic and documentary evidence against the outfit.

Besides PFI, the Union government has also banned PFI’s affiliates 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.