What is the PFI? Why has it been banned?

The organisation, formed in 2007, has the most clout in Kerala where it is accused in cases of murder, intimidation and rioting

The Centre on Wednesday declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliates an "unlawful association" with immediate effect, banning it for five years. This comes after the authorities detained scores of members of the Islamic organisation on Tuesday and earlier in the month, accusing them of violence and anti-national activities.

The BJP has spoken out against the organisation in recent years and has targeted the Congress for its soft stance on the entity. Let’s now take a closer look at the PFI and its history.

What is the PFI?

The PFI came into being in South India in 2007 with the merger of three Muslim organisations: the National Democratic Front in Kerala, the Karnataka Forum for Dignity and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu. The body was formally launched at a Bengaluru rally in February 2007, four months after the merger decision.

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The PFI says that it fights for the rights of the marginalised, the minorities and those in the Scheduled Castes. The body has often been at odds with the policies of the Congress, the BJP and the JD(S) government in Karnataka. These and other parties continue to accuse each other of maintaining friendly ties with the PFI to attract Muslim voters.

The PFI has not fielded candidates in elections. It is similar to right-wing outfits like the VHP, the Hindu Jagaran Vedike and the RSS in that it does social work for Muslims. The organisation keeps no official records of memberships.

The PFI was formed after the Students Islamic Movement of India was banned in 2001. Two years after the PFI's 2007 inception, the Social Democratic Party of India was formed from within the organisation to take up the political issues of Muslims, Scheduled Castes and other backward groups.

The organisation has the most clout in Kerala where it has multiple cases filed against it for incidents of murder, intimidation, rioting and for its connections with terror outfits.

Why has the Centre banned the PFI?

The Centre justified its ban saying that if there is "no immediate curb or control of unlawful activities of the PFI and its affiliates or fronts, the PFI and its associates, it will use the opportunity to "continue its subversive activities" disturbing the constitutional set up of the country.

If there is no ban, the notification said, it will also encourage and enforce terror-based regressive regime, allow propagating anti-national sentiments and radicalise a particular section of society with the intention to create disaffection against the country and aggravate activities which are detrimental to the integrity, security and sovereignty of the country.

The PFI and its affiliates "operate openly as socio-economic, educational and political organisations but they have been pursuing a secret agenda to radicalise a particular section of the society working towards undermining the concept of democracy and showing sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority and constitutional set up of the country", it said.

Besides PFI, the affiliates that were banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 are 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 India Foundation.

Why is the PFI under NIA, ED radar?

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been investigating the PFI's alleged "financial links" tied to charges of fuelling the Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in the country, the Delhi riots in February 2020, a purported conspiracy in the case of gang-rape and death of a Scheduled Caste woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, and a few other instances.

In February last year, the ED filed its first charge sheet against the PFI and its Campus Front of India (CFI) student wing on money laundering charges, saying that its members had wanted to "incite communal riots and spread terror" in the aftermath of the Hathras gang-rape case.

The people named in the charge sheet include K A Rauf Sherif, CFI national general secretary and PFI member; Atikur Rahman, CFI national treasurer; Masud Ahmed, Delhi-based CFI general secretary; Siddique Kappan, a journalist "associated with the PFI" and Mohammed Alam, another CFI/PFI member.

(With PTI inputs)