UP Police arrests 108 Popular Front of India members for anti-CAA protests

A total of 108 members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested by UP police in last four days (between Januray 20 and February 2, 2020). A senior Uttar Pradesh Police official said on Monday that all the 108 PFI members were allegedly involved in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi claimed the arrests are in addition to the 25 arrests that were made earlier. He said, "This is just the beginning. We will get to the roots of the organisation. A probe is also going on about their financial dealings. We are in touch with central agencies and are sharing information with them." Awasthi stated that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to take this kind of action against the organisation.

Providing with the details of people arrested, acting Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said that 14 people were arrested in Lucknow, 21 in Meerut, 20 in Varanasi, 16 in Bahraich, 3 in Sitapur, 9 in Ghaziabad, 6 in Muzaffarnagar, 7 in Shamli, 4 in Bijnor, 5 in Kanpur and one each in Gonda, Hapur and Jaunpur.

"We are collecting evidence," Chandra replied on being asked whether the state police has any information about the PFI's financial transactions from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He also said that they were continuously interacting with the ED and other agencies but declined to comment further.

In December 2019, Uttar Pradesh Police sought a ban on the PFI, suspecting the organisation's complicity in the statewide violent protests against CAA. The ban was sought after PFI's Uttar Pradesh head Wasim and 16 other activists were arrested for allegedly being the masterminds behind the violence in Lucknow during anti-CAA protests.

The PFI was formed as a successor to the National Democratic Front (NDF) in 2006 in Kerala. Security agencies have alleged its leaders have been groomed in the Students' Islamic Movement of India's (SIMI) ideology.