NEW DELHI: The probe carried out by multiple agencies have identified that the Popular Front of India (PFI) is connected with global terrorist groups such as ISIS and JMB, the Centre said on Wednesday
Also, it has been shown that the PFI and its fronts operate openly as socioeconomic, educational, and political organisations while secretly pursuing a mission to radicalise a specific segment of society.
The investigation by multiple agencies has so far revealed that some of PFI's founding members are leaders of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which is a prohibited organisation, and that PFI has connections to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is also a prohibited organisation.
Read more: Karnataka HM welcomes Centre's ban on PFI
PFI had a number of cases where it had connections to international terrorist organisations like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). As evidenced by the fact that certain PFI cadres have joined international terrorist organisations, the PFI and its friends, affiliations, or fronts have been working secretly to increase the radicalization of one community by fostering a sense of unease throughout the nation.
The Ministry of Home Affairs reports that there have been numerous cases of PFI members connecting with international terrorist organisations, and some PFI members have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and taken part in terrorist acts in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In addition to having connections to Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a designated terrorist organisation, the PFI has killed some of these ISIS-affiliated PFI cadres in these combat zones and detained others.
Read More: Centre bans Popular Front of India for 5 years
The PFI and its associates, affiliates, or fronts have engaged in illegal activities that are detrimental to the integrity, sovereignty, and security of the country and have the potential to disturb public peace and communal harmony in the country as well as support militancy there, according to a notification released by the Center on Wednesday.
The Popular Front of India (PFI) and any associates or affiliates were outlawed by the Centre for a term of five years. The affiliates include the National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Women's Front (NWF), Junior Front (JF), Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala as an "illegal association".
PFI men arrested from Shaheen Bagh and Jamia, links with terror outfit ISIS