Kerala HC to hear plea against Popular Front
The Kerala High Court will consider a public interest litigation on Tuesday demanding a ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI), a radical Muslim organisation, in context of several recent incidents with terror undertones.
The PFI was formed by the merger of three organisations – the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) in Karnataka, the National Development Front (NDF) in Kerala and Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP) in Tamil Nadu. The outfit’s involvement in several violent incidents in Kerala and vociferous campaign for a dress code for Muslim girls in schools has already been making news in the state.
However, it was the recent palm-chopping of a professor in Muvattupuzha for framing a ‘provocative’ question that exposed the threat posed by the organisation.
The assailants who chopped off the right palm of Professor T J Joseph, were on Monday identified by his sister Stella Mary. Police said that all four have now been identified as PFI activists though only two of the eight-member gang have been caught so far. Raids conducted on the houses of the PFI activists and leaders in this connection have unearthed several incriminating documents and evidence of huge money transactions.
An al-Qaeda CD showing barbaric torture of westerners was also found among the materials seized from a district leader’s house. Police raid on a house at Edakkad in Kannur on Monday unearthed bombs, weapons and propaganda material.
Stringent measures
The state Assembly, which discussed the growing strength of terrorists in the state and their nexus with religion, resolved to take stringent measures to tackle the menace.
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the state would request the Centre to initiate a NIA inquiry into the recent incident when the brake pipes of a passenger train were found cut at Nilambur.
Union Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandran said in Thrissur that the Centre would examine the possibilities of banning the PFI if a formal request from the state government was received.
