The NIA said on Thursday that the raids were in connection with five cases pertaining to terror funding, arms training, and radicalisation.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (Supplied)
Reacting to the National Investigation Agency’s “largest-ever investigation process till date” by swooping down on scores of leaders and functionaries of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 22 September, said there should be zero tolerance towards communalism, regardless of where it comes from.
“My view is that all forms of communalism, all forms of violence — regardless of where they come from — are the same and should be combatted. There should be zero tolerance towards communalism regardless of where it is coming from,” he told reporters in Ernakulam, where he is currently leading the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The NIA, along with the Enforcement Directorate and state police departments, launched massive search operations on leaders and functionaries of the PFI and SDPI on the intervening night of Wednesday-Thursday in at least 10 states. A total of 45 leaders belonging to these organisations were officially arrested by the NIA.
These actions triggered protests by members of the two organisations in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
According to the NIA, the searches and arrests were part of their investigation into the alleged illegal activities of the organisations, such as “terror funding, organising training camps, and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations”.
Many believe that the latest action of the NIA was a step towards banning the PFI and SDPI, which on various occasions have been accused of instigating or being part of “anti-social” and “anti-national” activities.
Mainstream political parties in the country stayed mostly silent over the matter, with the PFI-SDPI finding hardly any support coming their way.
Apart from accusing the BJP-led Central government of “stifling dissenting voices” and “creating a shadow enemy” to cover up its failure in governance, SDPI national president MK Faizy in a statement also said that “the silence of the so-called secular parties in the country towards the unfair and undemocratic acts of the fascist regime is the most perturbing and regrettable part”.
Priyank Kharge, another Congress leader from Karnataka, stated that the Central agency must also probe allegations of the RSS funding the SDPI in the state.
“Let there be a thorough investigation. While they are at it, the Central agency should also probe allegations of the RSS funding the SDPI in Karnataka. The RSS’ own former office-bearers have alleged that the BJP-RSS fund the SDPI. So, let that be probed as well,” he said.
Another leader from Karnataka, the BJP’s Pratap Simha, blamed the PFI and the SDPI for various murders in the state, and also accused the Congress of allegedly supporting these organisations.
He told reporters: “For various murders executed here in the state, either the SDPI or PFI members are named as the accused, or the law enforcement agencies have established links with these organisations. Be it the Raju murder case, the Tanveer Sait attempt to murder case, the Harsha murder case, the Praveen Nettaru murder case, or the Prashant Pujari murder case, in all these murders the police have established that the accused were active SDPI and PFI members.”
He added: “The then ruling Congress government under Siddaramaiah supported the activities of the SDPI and the PFI, and now their international links have been established.”
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, NIA Director General Dinkar Gupta and other top officials to take stock of the NIA searches on PFI and SDPI members across the country.
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