Tension grips Coimbatore after NIA arrests top PFI functionaries in Tamil Nadu

Eleven PFI members were arrested from Tamil Nadu alone, of which two office bearers were from Coimbatore

Protests rocked several parts of southern India in retaliation to the National Investigation Agency’s raids and arrests against the Popular Front of India (PFI) for allegedly being involved in anti-India activities.

A security person keeps vigil outside a Popular Front of India office during the NIA raids on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

In retaliation, the PFI declared a one-day strike in Kerala, while several of its members engaged in violence and arson in Tamil Nadu in protest against the actions by security agencies.

Eleven PFI members were arrested from Tamil Nadu alone, of which two office bearers were from Coimbatore. The NIA took AS Ismail, national executive committee member of PFI, into custody from Coimbatore.

On Friday morning, unidentified people damaged two cars and two other vehicles known to belong to the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu Munnani.

On Thursday night, a bottle filled with petrol was hurled at the BJP office in Coimbatore triggering tensions in the area.

BJP workers protested near their office and likened it to a “terror attack”. “CCTV footage has been collected,” a police officer said.

Incidents of stone pelting and damage to public property was also reported.