5 Kerala RSS leaders on PFI's 'hitlist' get Y-category security
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday provided Y category security to five Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders from Kerala who were on the recently-banned Popular Front of India's (PFI) "hitlist." This decision was based on a report by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Paramilitary personnel will now be deployed for the security of the persons under threat.
Why does this story matter?
PFI is reportedly an extremist Islamic organization founded by members of the banned terrorist organization Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). In two rounds of nationwide raids, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at over 100 PFI-linked locations and reportedly detained over 200 officials from Delhi, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, among others. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs banned PFI for five years.
11 paramilitary commandos to guard in shifts
A total of 11 personnel will watch over in shifts, among which five will be for static duty at the RSS leaders' residence and six for personal security. While raiding the house of PFI member Mohammed Basheer in Kerala on September 22, the NIA had recovered a list carrying names of the RSS leaders who were allegedly on the radical outfit's target.
Opposition leaders demand to ban RSS
The Central government banned as many as nine organizations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Government agencies now have the power to arrest the members of these organizations, seize its assets, and freeze its bank accounts. Meanwhile, Opposition leaders have demanded to ban the RSS, blaming it for communalization. The RSS has been banned on three instances in 1948, 1975, and 1992.
Some alleged instances of PFI's 'terror'
Citing PFI's links with criminal and terror cases that show "sheer disrespect towards constitutional authority," the Centre alleged it a major threat to internal security. It referred to criminal acts allegedly committed by PFI cadres, including chopping off a college professor's limb in Kerala and "cold-blooded killings" of people of other faiths. Over 200 PFI members have been booked in nationwide raids.
CFI plans to challenge ban in court
On Wednesday evening, PFI Kerala's general secretary Abdul Sattar announced the disbanding of the organization. The Campus Front of India (CFI), the student wing of PFI, reportedly plans to go to court against the ban, which will be contested in front of a high court justice in 30 days as part of the UAPA guidelines.
