The Union Government, on Tuesday, September 27, declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates as an unlawful organisation with immediate effect, for a period of five years. Along with PFI, eight associate organisations have been declared unlawful associations. They are PFI, Rehab India Foundation(RIF), Campus Front of India(CFI), All India Imams Council(AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Org (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Jr Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.
The move comes days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out a massive raid on PFI and associate organisations across the country. In its notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that the PFI was involved in "several criminal and terror cases" and shows "sheer disrespect to the constitutional authority" of the country. It has also said that the organisation has external funds and ideological support which has become an "internal threat" to India.
The notification also mentions the incident of PFI members chopping off the hands of a Malayalam professor in Kerala and listed several murders as being committed by the members of PFI, including that of Sanjith of Kerala in 2021, Ramalingam of Tamil Nadu in 2019, Praveen Nettaru of Karnataka this year.
"PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts operate openly as a socio-economic, educational and political organisation but, they have been pursuing a secret agenda to radicalise a particular section of the society working towards undermining the concept of democracy and show sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority and constitutional set up of the country," said the government notification.
Calls for a ban on PFI have been growing louder in the recent past, especially from BJP-ruled states. The latest demand for a ban came from Karnataka in February this year, following the murder of 28-year-old Bajrang Dal activist Harsha in Shivamogga district.
In 2020, when the country was hit by anti-CAA (Citizenship (Amendment) Act) agitations, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath had also demanded a ban on PFI claiming that the protests were orchestrated by the outfit. A report sent by the Enforcement Directorate to the Union Home Ministry also reiterated this claim.
Rehab India Foundation collects funds through PFI members and some of the PFI members are also members of Campus Front of India, Empower India Foundation, Rehab Foundation Kerala. The activities of Junior Front, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights organisation and National Women’s Front are coordinated by PFI leaders.
PFI has created the above-mentioned associates or affiliates or friends with the objective of enhancing its reach among different sections of society such as youth, students, women, imams, lawyers or weaker sections of the society with the sole objective of expanding its membership influence and fundraising capacity.
Some of the PFI’s founding members were the leaders of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and PFI also has linkages with Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), both of which are proscribed organisations.