BANGALORE: On Tuesday, September 27, police in Karnataka detained 45 members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) as part of their ongoing campaign against the political organisation.

The raids reportedly started at different places in Belagavi, Gadag, Bijapur in north Karnataka, neighbouring districts of Bangalore Kolar and Bangalore Rural, and coastal district of Udupi at 4 a.m.,  source said.

In retaliation to recent NIA searches, the sources claimed that the PFI leaders have amassed funds from foreign nations to incite unrest in society and assault RSS leaders and offices.

The searches took place on September 23 in the districts of Bangalore, Bidar, Raichur, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Bangalore Rural, and Kolar. Only in Bangalore were 15 PFI employees detained.

Alok Kumar, the ADGP (Law and Order), is actively observing the raids taking place all throughout the state. Five PFI members who blocked the National Highway and demonstrated over the earlier arrest of their leaders have been detained by Belagavi police. Six PFI leaders have been detained and are being questioned in Kolar.

The police teams in Udupi's coastal district have simultaneously raided four different places and detained more than four leaders.

It has been revealed by ADGP Alok Kumar that 45 PFI employees have been detained. He claimed that the state-wide raids were implemented as a preventative step to keep them from engaging in violence.

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