GUWAHATI, SEP 22: In a joint operation, by NIA and special branch of Assam police has arrested nine activist of the Popular Front of India (PFI) from various locations of Assam on Thursday.
“These leaders of the organization were arrested as there is reliable information that they were making all out efforts to foment communal strife throughout the state of Assam. They were indulging in whipping the communal passion and sentiments of the religious minority by criticizing every policy of the Government with communal overtones which include Citizenship Amendment Act,” a police statement stated.
It further said, “They were also obstructing the government servants in performing government duty by use of force, while the organization was trying to conduct several programmes in some districts of Assam by violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC. The leaders had been extensively using Cyber Space to provoke the people for defying the Govt. and to divide the society on religious lines and obstructing the Govt. on execution of Policies. They were provocating the people against the Govt. with the aim to spread mistrust among public against the government.”
“These leaders were also trying to spread communal feelings in Muslim dominated pockets of Barpeta, Goalpara, Badarpur by whipping their sentiments on the issue of communal violence, Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti that took place in Rajasthan.Following members of PFI were arrested in this case connection as they were found actively involved in the above noted conspiracy of propagating the anti establishment propaganda with communal overtones with a view to polarizing on religious lines throughout the State and vitiating the atmosphere thus posing a serious threat to the internal security of the country”.
According to police, two persons have been arrested after raids were carried out in Hatigaon and Dispur localities of Guwahati, and another four PFI activists have been arrested from Nagarbera while one each have been held at Karimganj, Barpeta and Baksa districts respectively.
Meanwhile, police said the PFI leader and North East regional secretary of the outfit Aminul Haque was arrested from House number 26 at Friends Path in Hatigaon area of Guwahati, another PFI leader identified as Farhad Ali was arrested from Dispur.