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108 PFI members arrested in last four days: UP home dept official
Lucknow/Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh police in last four days arrested 108 members of Popular Front of India (PFI) across 13 districts in the state, UP’s additional
Lucknow/Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh police in last four days arrested 108 members of Popular Front of India (PFI) across 13 districts in the state, UP’s additional chief secretary (Home), Awanish Awasthi, said on Monday. The figures also include nine persons arrested from Ghaziabad whose alleged involvement came to light during the December 20 rioting incidents in Muradnagar.
Awasthi on Monday held a joint press briefing with officiating director general of police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthy.
“The organization (PFI) is mainly active in Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Lucknow, Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich, Varanasi, Azamgarh, Ghaziabad and Sitapur,” Awasthi said.
He said that the probe so far into the anti-CAA,/NRC protests that turned violent had claimed 24 lives across the state and suggested that the PFI was allegedly behind the incidents.
“Police in December last year had arrested 25 PFI members, including state president, state treasurer, division Incharges of Bahraich, Barabanki and Varanasi,” he said.
“Police formed district level special investigation teams (SITs) in all the districts where deaths took place during the violence. After investigations, police have arrested 108 PFI members from 13 districts,” he said adding, these arrests were in addition to 25 persons nabbed in December.
Officials privy to the SIT probes said most of the members were allegedly involved in inciting violence through objectionable literature, pamphlets etc while some were allegedly involved in arranging funds.
In December, 2019 the UP police had suggested ban on the organisation and the state government in turn had sent the proposal to the Centre.
According to UP police, Lucknow accounted for 14 arrests, Varanasi 20, Lucknow 14, Sitapur 3, Meerut 21, Ghaziabad 9, Shamli 7, Bijnor 4, Kanpur 5, Gonda, Jaunpur and Hapur one each while Bahraich and Muzaffarnagar accounted for 16 and 6 arrests, respectively.
The PFI with its office listed on its website was contacted for their response over the developments in UP but they could not be reached despite repeated attempts.
The officials of the Ghaziabad police said that nine persons were arrested mostly in connection with FIRs lodged at Muradnagar.
“Six persons were arrested during past one week while three were arrested earlier in December. The earlier three were arrested for spreading communally hatred messages through social media. The persons also accepted their involvement in the social media groups of the organisation while they also attended their rallies on different occassions. We suspect that the nine persons have direct or indirect links with PFI,” said Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, superintendent of police (Rural), Ghaziabad.
In Ghaziabad, the incidents during the protests had come to light at PSC Chowk (Kaila Bhatta), Loni and three locations in Muradnagar on December 20, 2019. The police had lodged several FIRs in this connection.
