Action against PFI precautionary, says CM Bommai

Bengaluru: Karnaraka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday that the action against PFI activists was only a preventive measure taken by the police based on inputs.
Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said, "Police have to take certain preventive measures based on inputs. The same has been done by the police of Karnataka and other states." "I did not have the numbers of persons arrested so far. I will collect details and share them with the media," he added.
Police earlier informed that in state-wide raids in Karnataka, more than 75 PFI workers of its political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and leaders were taken into preventive custody.

Police along with other investigative agencies conducted raids across several states including Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh as part of a crackdown against the organisation.
"Over 75 PFI and SDPI workers and leaders have been taken into preventive custody, including the SDPI Yadgiri district president. The police raids are underway across the state. The cases have been booked under sections 108, 151 CrPC," said Alok Kumar, ADGP Law and Order, Bengaluru.

The police conducted raids in Devanahalli, Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga, Raichur, Hassan, Bellary, Bagalkot, Koppal and other districts in the state.
Three PFI leaders were been taken into custody in Mysore while two leaders were taken into custody in Chamarajanagar. Eight PFI leaders have been taken into custody including the district president in Mangalore. Four people from Hoskote, three from Chickaballapur and nine from Bengaluru rural have been taken into custody.
These searches were conducted at the residential and official premises of persons involved in "funding terrorism, organising training camps and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations".
The PFI was launched in Kerala in 2006 after merging three Muslim organizations floated after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 - the National Development Front of Kerala, Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Manitha Neethi Pasari of Tamil Nadu. After the demolition of the Babri mosque, many fringe outfits had surfaced in south India and PFI was formed after merging some of them. (ANI)