Kerala govt initiates steps to ban PFI

Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of the Central government declaring the Popular Front of India (PFI) as a banned organisation, the Kerala government has initiated steps to implement the order by empowering the district administration and police to take action against the outlawed outfit's activities.

The Home Department of the state government on Wednesday issued an order stating that since PFI, its associates, affiliates and fronts have been declared as unlawful associations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the powers which the state government can exercise have been delegated to the respective District Magistrates (DMs) and Police Superintendents (SPs).

The DMs and SPs, in their respective jurisdictions, would be exercising powers under Sections 7 (power to prohibit the use of funds of an unlawful association and 8 (power to notify places used for the purpose of an unlawful association) of UAPA, the state government order said.

The Union government on Wednesday had banned the PFI and several of its associates for five years under a stringent anti-terror law, accusing them of having "links" with global terror groups like ISIS.

Opposition parties, including the Congress and the BJP, strongly hailed the move even as the ruling CPI(M) adopted a stand that political isolation was the solution to tackle the problem.

Meanwhile, the PFI state leadership issued a statement saying the organisation has been disbanded in the wake of the Home Ministry's decision to ban it.

The ban came in the wake of nationwide raids on the outfits offices and the arrest of over 100 of its leaders which was followed by a state-wide hartal in Kerala on September 23.

During the September 23 hartal, PFI activists had allegedly engaged in widespread violence resulting in damage to buses, public property and even attacks on the public.

Multi-agency teams, spearheaded by NIA, had last week carried out raids at 93 locations in 15 states across the country and arrested over 100 PFI leaders for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.