NIA raids PFI offices across 10 states

Searches are also being conducted at the Chennai PFI state head office

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ ITDC NEWS In major action being taken across 10 states, NIA and ED along with state police have arrested over 100 cadres of PFI, reported news agency ANI.

NIA searched the homes of PFI officebearers at several places in Tamil Nadu, including Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Ramnad, Dindugal, Theni and Thenkasi. Searches are also being conducted at the Chennai PFI state head office at Purasawakkam.The agency conducted raids at the houses of PFI state, district level leaders including the house of O.M.A. Salam, PFI chairman in Manjeri, Malappuram district, and at PFI offices from midnight:

The PFI is widely viewed as a hardline Muslim organisation and has been blamed for several incidents of communal violence, provoking calls for imposing a nation-wide ban on it. The organisation itself has rejected the allegations.

Two days back, the NIA had searched 40 locations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in connection with a case against the PFI for allegedly running training camps to commit terror acts and promote enmity between groups on the basis of religion.

 The case was initially registered on July 4 at the Nizamabad police station in Telangana and during investigations by the state police, four accuse—Abdul Kader, Sheikh Sahadulla, Mohd Imran and Mohd Abdul Mobin—were arrested. Later, the case was re-registered by the NIA on August 26 to carry forward the probe, the spokesperson said.