NIA raid without even informing state govt, eight of 22 arrested PFI leaders taken to Delhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Central agencies conducted nationwide raids on Popular Front of India (PFI) offices on Thursday morning. Following the raid in about 70 centres in the state, NIA arrested about 20 people who are national and state leaders of the Popular Front in Kochi. The inspection was conducted based on cases registered in Delhi and Kerala.

Senior PFI leaders including Nasruddin Elamaram, PFI national secretary, were arrested. Eight of them have been taken to Delhi. Many people were taken into custody in today's raid in Kerala, and their arrest has been recorded now.

PFI Idukki district secretary Zainuddin, national president OMA Salam, state president Mohammad Basheer, Pathanamthitta district secretary Sadiq Muhammad, Mundakkayam native Najimuddin, Kozhikode native P Koya, national vice president Abdul Rahman Kalamassery are other prominent leaders in custody.

Apart from the PFI offices in the state, the houses of the leaders were also raided. The NIA raid was at around 3:30 in the morning after deploying central troops. Apart from Kerala, raids were conducted in 100 centres in thirteen states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi with the cooperation of ED. Officials say the investigation is related to terror funding and training camps for terrorist activities. The raid was done without informing even the state governments.

Meanwhile, the PFI has called for a hartal tomorrow. The hartal is from 6 am to 6 pm. The leaders of the Popular Front had announced in a press conference that if the arrested leaders are not released, they will stage protests including hartal.