GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 22nd Sept. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested 20 activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) from the state on Thursday during a multi-nodal agency operation for allegedly engaging in unlawful activities promoting enmity among communities and waging a war against the country.
A multi-agency operation led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday led to the arrest of 106 PFI activists in 11 states in nearly simultaneous raids across the country for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country, officials said.
The arrests were made during the raids, which officials mentioned as the “largest-ever investigation process to date.”
According to an official, various ATS teams conducted raids in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Aurangabad, Pune, Kolhapur, Beed, Parbhani, Nanded, Malegaon (in Nashik district), and Jalgaon in Maharashtra.
He said, ATS teams arrested at least 20 people from various locations and seized important documents.
The ATS has registered four offences in Mumbai, Nashik, Aurangabad and Nanded under various Indian Penal Code Sections including 153-A (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 121A (conspiring to commit certain offences against the State) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), and provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), he said.
The ATS officials were also making enquiries with some people in connection with these cases, he said.
The PFI was formed in Kerala in 2006 and is headquartered in Delhi.
It claims to be a neo-social movement dedicated to the empowerment of India’s marginalized groups. However, law enforcement agencies frequently accuse it of promoting radical Islam.
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