PFI's twitter account taken down a day after imposition of ban

The twitter account of the Popular Front of India has been taken down a day after the organisation and its affiliates were banned for five years for its alleged links to terror outfits.

"@PFIOfficial's account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand," its twitter page shows.

The PFI, banned on Wednesday, was indulging in "disturbing" the country's communal and secular fabric and "posing a grave threat" to national security by advancing its radical ideology and seeking to establish "political Islam" in India besides targeting Hindu activists, officials said.


The home ministry said that the organisation has been found indulging in serious offences including “terrorism, its financing, targeted gruesome killings, disregarding Constitutional set up of India, disturbing public order etc. prejudicial to India's integrity, security, sovereignty.”

According to officials monitoring activities of the PFI and its members, a secret 'service team' was formed, similar to the 'hit squads' whose main task was to provide security to senior PFI leaders and also kept track of Hindu leaders in their areas and plan action against them.

They alleged the PFI covertly organises training exercises, military-like drills, where participants are trained to use force and violence against certain religious groups, which are perceived as enemy of Islam.

They further alleged that since its inception, the PFI has been against Hindu organisations and its leaders and the group has a secret hit squad that engages in targeted killings of Hindu activists and those allegedly indulging in blasphemy.

(With inputs from PTI)