Kerala: PFI calls for a one-day strike over the arrest of its leaders

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is leading a group of agencies that raided the offices, homes, and other locations of the Popular Front of India ( PFI ) on Thursday in retaliation for allegations that the organisation supported terrorist activities across the nation. In addition, the group demanded a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the southern state on Friday to demonstrate their vehement opposition to the central agencies’ act. In a statement released here, the PFI state committee noted that the leaders’ arrest was a result of ‘state-sponsored terrorism’. “A hartal will be observed in the state on September 23 against the RSS-controlled fascist government’s attempt to silence dissenting voices using the central agencies,” A Abdul Sathar, state general secretary, PFI, said. The hartal would be held from 6 AM to 6 PM, he said in the statement.

As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted numerous raids on PFI terror links today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over a meeting with NSA Ajit Doval and other top officials. In early-morning raids on Thursday, several agencies, including the NIA, detained or arrested nearly 100 PFI activists in roughly 10 states for allegedly supporting terrorism. The raids were conducted in the following states: Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and the national capital. The investigation agency also detained the PFI Chairman OMA Salam and the Delhi PFI Chief Parvez Ahmed. As word of the early morning searches spread, PFI workers organised marches to the locations of the raids and chanted anti-Centre and anti-investigating agency slogans. To strengthen the security, however, central forces had already been placed in all such locations. According to a PFI source, protest marches were held in almost every district, including Thrissur, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Kollam. According to local media, all of the leaders and workers who had been detained across the state would be transported to the NIA office in Kochi. According to the Social Democratic Party of India’s (SDPI) state president Ashraf Maulavi, the home of an SDPI leader who lives in Thrissur was also searched. He said during a press conference held here that those who adhere to the country’s Constitution should anticipate any such fascist action being taken against them in RSS-ruled India. Read all the **_Latest News_** _, _ **_Trending News_** _, _ **_Cricket News_** _, _ **_Bollywood News_** _, _ **_India News_** and **_Entertainment News_** here. Follow us on Facebook_, _ Twitter and Instagram_._