PFI Bandh: Probe against petrol bombs hurled at RSS office in Kannur

19:07 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

500 people arrested, 400 put under preventive detention

As many as 500 people were arrested and 400 others put under preventive detention on Friday in connection with violent protests during the twelve-hour strike called by PFI to protest the arrest of the organisation's leaders.

16:45 (IST)

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PFI activists, youths among 40 protesters detained in Pune

Local Muslim youth and PFI activists were among 40 people detained by police in Maharashtra’s Pune over commotion due to protests outside the District Collector’s office, reported ANI

16:13 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

PFI activists beaten up by local people in Kannur

A group of Popular Front of India (PFI) activists were beaten up by local people when they tried to forcefully down the shutters of shops here as part of the hartal called by their outfit in the state on Friday.

Angry local people reacted strongly when the protesters asked them to close the shops, beat them up and handed one of them to the police at the Central Bazar in Payyannur in this politically-volatile northern district.

In the visuals aired by local television channels, it could be seen that one of the hartal supporters was beaten up by a group of local people, who chased him when he tried to run away and handed him over to the police later.

A policeman could be seen taking him in an autorickshaw in the visuals.

PTI

16:04 (IST)

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NIA raids against PFI "conspiracy to finish Muslims", alleges Maulana Sajid Rashidi

Slamming the Centre over the National Investigation Agency's nationwide crackdown against the Popular Front of India, Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi on Friday dubbed it a "conspiracy to finish Muslims".

He claimed that attempts are being made to "ban" PFI.

His remarks came a day after the NIA and ED conducted raids against PFI on various locations in 15 states of the country, arresting 106 of its members.

ANI

15:22 (IST)

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Kerala: Locals beat up PFI workers trying to enforce 'bandh' in Kannur

Controversial Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) dawn-to-dusk bandh in Kerala in protest against the multiple nationwide raids by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against its leaders and members.

Several incidents of violence have been reported from various parts of Kerala as the PFI tried to forcibly enforce the bandh at multiple locations.

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15:20 (IST)

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PFI calls for strike and Cong halts 'padyatra', alleges BJP's Kapil Mishra

Nothing can be more "petty and shameful", Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra said alleging that the Congress halted its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Friday as the Popular Front of India (PFI) has called for a strike in Kerala.

Replying to Mishra's allegations, Congress' media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera said the yatra has one-day break each week.

"PFI and Islamic jihadist organisations today gave a call for strike and Congress halted its Padyatra (march). Nothing can be more petty and shameful," Mishra, a former minister of the AAP-led Delhi government and now a firebrand leader of the Delhi BJP, said in a Hindi tweet.

Taking a dig at Mishra, Khera asked him if it is true that RSS head Mohan Bhagwat, who recently reached out to the Muslim community, was to embark on a march to seek apology from the PFI.

"There is one day break each week in this Bharat Jodo Yatra. The last break was on 15th (Sept). Now tell if it is true that Mohan ji Bhagwat is to set off on a march to seek apology from PFI (PFI se maafi mango yatra)," Khera replied back in a Hindi tweet.

PTI

15:13 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

PFI flash hartal: Determined to carry on work, bus driver wears helmet amid stone pelting

It is said when the going gets tough, the tough get going. A Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus driver, determined to carry on with his duty amid the hartal called by the Popular Front of India on Friday, decided to wear a helmet to save himself from being hit by stones.

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ഹർത്താൽ ദിനത്തിൽ കല്ലേറു ഭയന്ന് ഹെൽമെറ്റ് ധരിച്ച് ബസ് ഒട്ടിക്കുന്ന KSRTC ഡ്രൈവർ pic.twitter.com/cICbzTp4nH— DD News Malayalam (@DDNewsMalayalam) September 23, 2022

14:59 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Kerala High Court finds PFI in contempt: What’s the legal status on holding a flash hartal?

After facing a probable nationwide ban, the Popular Front of India (PFI) is now facing the Kerala court’s ire too.

The Kerala High Court observed that, prima facie, the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the radical outfit in the state amounted to contempt of earlier high court orders on the conduct of bandhs.

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14:57 (IST)

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A shop, that was kept open, reportedly destroyed

A lottery shop, kept open at Sankranthi Kavala in Kottayam, was destroyed by the hartal supporters while some freight lorries, which were on on its way from Mangaluru, were stopped and its keys were snatched away by them on a national highway in Kannur which caused blocked traffic in the area.

PTI

14:35 (IST)

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Assam: One more PFI leader arrested, total 11 held

The Assam Police on Friday arrested one more leader of the Popular Front of India (PFI), it informed.

According to the Additional Director General of Police, this arrested PFI leader has been identified as Dr Minarul Seikh who hailed from West Bengal and was arrested from Delhi.

Seikh is the PFI's state president in West Bengal.

"The person hailing from West Bengal has been arrested from Delhi," said Hiren Nath, ADGP (Special Branch) of Assam police.

ANI

14:30 (IST)

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PFI office bearers were recruiting Muslim youth to join proscribed organisations like ISIS: NIA

Office bearers, members and cadres of the Popular Front of India (PFI) along with others were involved in radicalizing and recruiting Muslim youth to join proscribed organisations like ISIS, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) revealed while seeking remand of the accused arrested a day ago in its first-ever mega operation against the outfit.

The counter-terror agency also accused the PFI leaders and cadres of "conspiring and raising or collecting funds from within India and abroad for committing or getting committed terrorist acts in various parts of India including states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi".

ANI

14:27 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Probe against petrol bombs hurled at RSS office in Kannur

During the strike protesting the arrest of the Popular Front of India’s leaders by NIA, a petrol bomb was hurled by two persons at the RSS office in Mattannur; police probe underway.

Kannur, Kerala | During the strike protesting the arrest of the Popular Front of India's leaders by NIA, a petrol bomb was hurled by two persons at the RSS office in Mattannur; police probe underway pic.twitter.com/3FQCSUgAgS— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2022

13:46 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Kerala High Court holds PFI in contempt for flash hartal

The Kerala High Court took suo motu case against radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and its state general secretary over declaring hartal in the state today.

A call for a flash hartal was made yesterday by the PFI, said Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar.

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13:41 (IST)

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Total breakdown of law and order in Kerala, says state BJP chief Surendran

The PFI criminals have resorted to massive violence in the name of harthal. They attacked KSRTC buses, forcefully shut shops and disrupted Mookambika pilgrimage while Kerala police remain silent spectators. There is a total breakdown of law and order situation in Kerala.— K Surendran (@surendranbjp) September 23, 2022

13:25 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Kerala HC holds Popular Front of India in contempt for flash hartal

The Kerala High Court, on Friday, strongly condemned and initiated suo motu proceedings against the leaders of Popular Front of India (PFI), noting the illegal call for flash hartal in the State, which was earlier banned by the Court.

The Bench observed that despite the High Court orders, a call for a flash hartal had been made by the PFI. The action of the PFI in calling for hartal without following the procedure prima facie amounted to contempt of the directions issued by the court.

The court on Friday also directed the police to ensure that adequate measures were put in place to prevent any damage/destruction being caused to public/private property of the government/citizen who did not support the call for hartal

It also directed that adequate police protection be provided to all public utility services which apprehended violence at the hands of the supporters of the hartals.

12:59 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

PFI hartal: Widespread stone pelting, sporadic incidents of violence in Kerala

Kerala on Friday witnessed widespread stone pelting at public transport buses, damaging of shops and vehicles, and sporadic incidents of violence in many places during the statewide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).

Hartal supporters took out protest marches, blocked the vehicles and forcefully downed the shutters of shops in various places, where the outfit has a strong presence.

Besides police personnel, some bus and lorry drivers and commuters suffered injuries in stone pelting and other related incidents.

The Kerala High Court took a case on its own over PFI's hartal and subsequent sporadic incidents of violence in the state today.

The court said holding hartals were banned by it earlier and the destruction of public property cannot be accepted.

The court also directed the state administration to take stern action against those who violate the court order banning hartals.

PTI

12:45 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Recruitment, arms training, terror funding: How the PFI carries out ‘anti-national’ activities

After nationwide raids and the arrest of over 100 people linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI), a Muslim radical group, Kerala is on edge. The organisation has called for a bandh, which has turned violent, to protest against the crackdown. Police officers were attacked and cars and buses have been damaged on Friday.

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12:15 (IST)

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PFI raided: All you need to know about NIA, ED’s pan-India crackdown

A ban on Popular Front of India (PFI) seems imminent after law-enforcement agencies Thursday conducted searches against it at 93 locations across 15 states over its alleged involvement in terror activities after in what officials described as the “largest-ever investigation process till date”.

106 PFI leaders have been arrested in the nationwide raids carried out by the National Investigation Agency, ED and the local police. The highest number of arrests was made from Kerala.

The NIA, according to the officials, has secured 45 convictions as part of the earlier investigations against the PFI and has chargesheeted 355 people in these cases.

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11:53 (IST)

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Tamil Nadu deploys police in PFI strongholds in state

The Tamil Nadu police have deployed a heavy contingent in all the areas where the radical Muslim outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI) is strong. In a nationwide crackdown against the PFI on Thursday, around 106 senior office-bearers of the organisation were arrested. This comes amid several incidents of violence in Kerala.

11:53 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Kerala High Court rules PFI hartal as illegal

The Kerala High Court, taking suo moto cognisance of Popular Front of India’s (PFI) violence, has ruled that the hartal is illegal. The division bench headed by Justice Jayashankar Nambiar gave strict instructions to the government to take strong action to prevent violence. The court also ordered to furnish information of damages to court.

11:41 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

‘PFI misleading Muslims posing as champion of Islam’, say Pasmanda Muslims, hailing NIA-ED crackdown

The All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (AIPMM) welcomed the action taken by the central investigative agencies against the Popular Front of India (PFI) on Thursday and said that the outfit was “misleading Muslims posing as champion of Islam”.

“PFI is trying to mislead the country by acting as the saviour of Islam. We have protested against their policies time and again, and requested for their ban,” read a statement from AIPMM.

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11:26 (IST)

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Kerala HC takes suo motu case against PFI hartal

The Kerala High Court on Friday took a case on its own over the hartal declared by radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and subsequent sporadic incidents of violence in the state.

The court said hartal was banned by it earlier and the destruction of the public property cannot be accepted.

The court also asked the state administration to take stern action against those who violate the court order banning hartals.

It asked the government to use all possible means to stop any form of violence.

Sporadic incidents of violence, including stone pelting, were reported since Friday morning in various parts of Kerala as the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by PFI was underway.

The hartal was called by the PFI to protest against the raids in the offices and residences of its leaders and their subsequent arrests on Thursday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other agencies for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.

PTI

11:14 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

PFI's Kerala bandh tuns violent: Protestors pelt stones at buses, vehicles; two policemen injured in Kollam

A day after Popular Front of India leaders were arrested in a massive country-wide raid, the outfit's dawn-to dusk hartal began on Friday and incidents of stone pelting and attack on vehicles including KSRTC buses by protesters were reported from various places in the state.

The shutdown in Kerala has been called by the PFI to protest the arrest of its members in nationwide raids by the National Investigation Agency yesterday.

The hartal (strike) started at 6 am and will continue for 12 hours till 6 pm.

In various other parts of the state, the roads were seen deserted this morning with few of people on the roads. According to the police, stone-pelting incidents were reported at various places in the state.

ANI

10:57 (IST)

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PFI’s puppets in media, social media and intelligentsia need to be busted

NIA’s Thursday crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI) across 15 states may have thwarted the blooming of the most influential Islamist network after the Muslim Brotherhood. More than 100 PFI members — including its entire top rung — have been arrested. Many more will follow. Legal loops will be closed, money trails established.

After all, the India’s political leadership, its anti-terror unit and intelligence agencies have been stalking the outfit like an extremely patient predator for years before making the leap.

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10:45 (IST)

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Police personnel attacked by two PFI supporters in Pallimukku

Two police personnel were attacked by two bike-borne PFI supporters in Pallimukku of Kollam district during Kerala bandh over NIA raids, say police.

10:44 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Members of PFI hold protest against NIA raids in Kerala

Kerala | Members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) hold protest against NIA raids, in Kottayam and Kochi pic.twitter.com/b2NLOE5rb8— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2022

10:29 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

Stone pelting, sporadic incidents of violence in Kerala

Stones were pelted at Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses (KSRTC) in various districts including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Alappuzha.

Local media reported that a petrol bomb was hurled at a vehicle which was carrying newspapers for distribution at Narayanpara in Kannur in the morning.

In Alappuzha, KSRTC buses, a tanker lorry and some other vehicles got damaged in the stone pelting allegedly by those supporting the hartal call.

A 15-year-old girl and an auto-rickshaw driver suffered minor injuries in the stone pelting allegedly by PFI activists in Kozhikode and Kannur respectively.

PTI

10:18 (IST)

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How PFI first gained notoriety after chopping off Kerala professor's TJ Joseph’s hand

Today, the Popular Front of India (PFI) has been accused of terror-related activities. It first rose to infamy 12 years ago, when its radical activists chopped off the right hand of Kerala professor TJ Joseph. His crime? He had set a ‘blasphemous’ question in an exam paper.

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10:12 (IST)

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KSRTC bus allegedly vandalised by people supporting the PFI bandh

Kochi, Kerala | A KSRTC bus was vandalised allegedly by people supporting the one-day bandh called by PFI today, in Companypadi near Aluva pic.twitter.com/XZqhiAxTDL— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2022

10:06 (IST)

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Tamil Nadu: Petrol-filled bottle hurled at BJP office in Coimbatore hours after NIA raids against PFI

A bottle filled with inflammable substance were hurled at the BJP office in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore on Thursday night triggering tension in the area.

The incident came hours after National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and the state police forces jointly carried out coordinated searches at the houses and offices of the top Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders and members across India on Thursday, including Tamil Nadu.

ANI

10:00 (IST)

PFI Bandh LIVE

An auto-rickshaw and a car were damaged allegedly by people supporting strike

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | One auto-rickshaw and a car were damaged allegedly by people supporting the state-wise bandh called today by the Popular Front of India over NIA raids pic.twitter.com/k305OP83jW— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2022

09:53 (IST)

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Visuals from Kottayam after PFI calls for bandh

Kerala | Visuals from Kottayam after Popular Front of India (PFI) called for a one-day state-wide strike today over NIA raids and the arrest of some of its leaders. pic.twitter.com/QVwAj4KskP— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2022

09:47 (IST)

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Kerala on edge after PFI calls for hartal over raids

Kerala police have beefed up security in the state and issued directions to the district police chiefs to ensure law and order after the radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) called for a state-wide hartal on Friday.

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