Assam CM Sarma welcomes ban on PFI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has welcomed the ban on PFI by the Centre.

Speaking to the media today, the Assam CM said that the PFI was behind the unrest and violence witnessed during the anti-CAA riots and the Gorukhuti incident.

He further said that organizations like the PFI were preparing the ground for the activities of terror outfits like the Al Qaeda and Ansarul Bangla Team.

CM Sarma further said that the government is shutting down the offices of PFI and its affiliated organizations and would also carry on the crackdown so as to nab more people linked with these outfits.

Meanwhile, the Centre has declared the PFI, its associates, affiliates, and fronts as an unlawful association for a period of five years.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that some of PFI’s founding members are the leaders of the Students Islamic Movement of India or SIMI, and the outfit has linkages with Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh — both of which are proscribed organizations.

The central government’s notification comes a day after over 200 people allegedly linked with the PFI were detained or arrested in raids across seven states, five days after a similar pan-India crackdown against the group often accused of being linked to radical Islam.

Conducted mostly by state police teams, the raids were spread across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh.

On September 22, multi-agency teams spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency arrested 106 leaders and activists of the PFI in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.