PFI Ban: Delhi Police on high alert, deploys drones for surveillance in THESE areas

New Delhi: The Delhi Police is on high alert following the Centre's five-year ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI). Police activity has increased in many areas of Delhi. Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) from several districts have also taken to the streets to assess the situation. According to the reports, the Delhi Police Department has begun drone surveillance over Shaheen Bagh. Thirty people linked with the PFI have been apprehended in Delhi's Nizamuddin and Shaheen Bagh neighbourhoods. The operations were carried out early in the morning by the Delhi Police Special Cell.

Earlier, Section 144 was also been imposed in and around Jamia Nagar till November 17. The Jamia University administration has also published a circular instructing students not to congregate or step out in groups. Even though the circular was released after NIA raided PFI, but Delhi Police spokesperson denies the claim and said that it was not related to the coordinated action against the PFI.

The North East district, where the riots took place in 2020, has a diverse population. Five persons connected to PFI were recently detained in the region by Delhi Police. 

According to DCP Sanjay Kumar, who spoke to ANI, "We are on high alert. We are prepared to deal with any issue. North East district has been assigned to the Yellow, Orange, and Red schemes. Today, an exercise was held in the North East area to assess the performance of the Yellow Scheme, which is intended to address any emergency in the district."

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In the yellow scheme, teams of ACPs and SHO move to the place of disturbance immediately on receipt of a message. At the same time, another reserve component of force are put on high alert. Vajra, water canon and other resources also move to the target point, said the official. Now, if the situation worsens in one police station area, the Orange scheme gets implemented in 3-4 police station areas. The red scheme becomes active when the whole district is affected.

According to Delhi Police, additional police forces will also be deployed in sensitive areas of the national capital so that immediate action can be taken in case of any untoward incident. North West district DCP and other district DCPs conducted patrolling in their respective jurisdictions.

Centre bans PFI for 5 years

Days after arresting over 100 PFI cadres in multiple raids carried out across the country linked to the PFI cadres by the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and state agencies as well as police forces, the Centre issued a ban against the outfit and its affiliates with "immediate effect". The Central government has directed all States and the Union Territories (UTs) to "exercise" powers of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the outfit and its affiliates. 

Besides PFI, the state governments and administration in UTs have been asked to use the powers of UAPA against its associates or affiliates or fronts including Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women`s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala. These PFI affiliates have also been banned by the Centre for five years under UAPA.

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The Centre`s notification clearly mentioned that the ban has been imposed against PFI and its associates for "indulging in unlawful activities, which are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country and have the potential of disturbing public peace and communal harmony of the country and supporting militancy in the country.

The Centre issued the ban citing the investigation of its agencies, mentioning "the investigations have established clear linkages between PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts".

It is also accused that "some of the PFI`s founding members are the leaders of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and PFI has linkages with Jamat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), both of which are proscribed organisations".

The Centre`s action also mentioned findings of agencies about a number of "instances of international linkages of PFI with Global Terrorist Groups like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)".The PFI and its associates are also charged for working covertly to increase the radicalization 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."

The PFI is further accused of its involvement in several criminal and terror cases as well as sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority of the country.

With funds and ideological support from outside, the PFI and its affiliates have been further accused of becoming a major threat to the internal security of the country.

The PFI came into existence on December 9, 2006. Three south Indian Muslim fundamentalist outfits - the National Development Front (NDF), Kerala; the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD), Karnataka; and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP), Tamil Nadu - rechristened the `South India Council` (a Bangalore based organisation floated by NDF in 2004) as the `Popular Front of India`.

(With PTI inputs)