PFI, associated entities banned for five years

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday imposed a five-year ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associated entities under the anti-terror law - the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA).

The Union home ministry would announce a tribunal to assess whether the restrictions on PFI and other entities were legitimate or if there was not enough evidence for the ban.

The associate organisations include 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 Foundation, Kerala.

The home ministry was responsible for the coordination between the central and state agencies and monitoring of the law and order situation, officials said.

In its notification, the MHA said some of the PFI's founding members were the leaders of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the PFI has links with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) - both of which are proscribed organisations.

There have been instances of PFI having links with global terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Some PFI activists have joined ISIS and participated in terror activities in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Whereas, the Central government, having regard to the above circumstances, is of the firm opinion that it is necessary to declare the PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts association outlawed with immediate effect, and accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 3 of the said Act, declares it as outlawed," the order stated.

PFI's political front, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), in a statement said, "Ban on PFI and associates is part of an undeclared Emergency by the BJP regime." As SDPI is a political party, it was not in the ambit of the UAPA ban, officials explained.

According to the MHA, PFI and its associates have been working covertly to increase the radicalisation of one community by promoting a sense of insecurity in the country, which is substantiated by the fact that some PFI cadres have joined international terrorist organisations, it was alleged. The home ministry said the Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat governments had recommended a ban on PFI.

It said PFI and its associates have been involved in violent terrorist activities to create a reign of terror, endangering the security of the state.

The PFI, the notification alleged, is trying to enforce a terror-based regressive regime, continue to propagate anti-national sentiments and radicalising a particular section of society to create disaffection against the country, aggravating activities which are detrimental to the integrity, security and sovereignty of the country.

The home ministry said investigations by central agencies have established clear links between the PFI and its associates. It said Rehab India Foundation collects funds through PFI members. The activities of the Junior Front, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation and National Women's Front are monitored and coordinated by PFI leaders, the notification claimed. PFI created these associates to enhance its reach among different sections of society such as the youth, students, women, Imams, lawyers or weaker sections to expand its membership, influence and fund-raising capacity, it said.

In another notification, the Centre empowered state governments to take action against groups affiliated with the PFI and the possible action against them could be seizure of places and arrest of their members. The home ministry said these associates work on a 'hub and spoke' model. PFI acts as the hub and utilises the mass outreach and fund-raising capacity of its associates to strengthen its capability for unlawful activities. These associates function as "roots and capillaries through which the PFI is fed and strengthened", the ministry noted.

The PFI and its associates operate openly as socio-economic educational and political organisations, the ministry claimed. Investigations have revealed that the PFI and its cadres have been repeatedly engaging in violent and subversive acts, it added.

Criminal violent acts carried out by PFI include chopping off the hand of a college professor, killings of persons associated with organisations espousing other faiths, obtaining explosives to target prominent people and places and destruction of public property, it said. The notification mentioned the names of several people who were alleged victims of the PFI's "brutal" violence and most of them belong to Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The home ministry said the office-bearers and cadre of PFI along with others are conspiring and raising funds from within India and abroad through banking channels, hawala and donations among others as part of a "well-crafted criminal conspiracy", and then transferring, layering and integrating these funds through multiple accounts to project them as legitimate and eventually using these for various criminal, unlawful and terrorist activities in India.

The source of deposits on behalf of PFI with respect to its several bank accounts were not supported by the financial profiles of the account holders and the activities of PFI were not being carried out as per their declared objectives. Therefore, the Income Tax Department cancelled the registration granted to PFI under section 12A or 12AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), it said. The Income Tax Department also cancelled the registration of Rehab India Foundation.