Chennai, Sept 22 (BPNS)
The Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) cadres are protesting at Chennai, Dindigul, Salem, and other places of Tamil Nadu against the early morning raids being conducted by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the offices of the PFI on Thursday morning.
The raids are part of nationwide raids that the central agencies are conducting at the premises of the PFI including in New Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala.
More than 100 cadres of PFI and SDPI were present in front of the party offices in Chennai after the commencement of the raids which are continuing. The Central agencies are accompanied by the Central police forces and have avoided the state police.
R. Nasser, a functionary of PFI at Mylapore, Chennai while speaking to BPNS said, “This is the attack by the fascist forces against a social organization. We strongly protest against the anti-democratic raids being carried out by the central agencies with the blessings of the fascist regime. We will not be cowed down by such cowardly acts and we don’t have anything to hide from the agencies.”
It is to be noted that the Popular Front of India (PFI) is an Islamist organization and has been in the news for some financial transactions in its various accounts in New Delhi and Kerala. Some of the PFI office bearers were earlier questioned by the central agencies.
At Dindigul also the NIA and ED are conducting joint raids at the offices of the PFI as also the residences of some senior office bearers of the organization. PFI cadres in large numbers are present in front of the office of the organization and are protesting against the raids being carried out.
Suhail Khan, an office bearer of the PFI at Dindigul while speaking to BPNS said, “ The early morning raids of the NIA is an indication of the fascist nature of the powers at the centre. They are trying to intimidate PFI which is functioning for the welfare of the downtrodden in the society including the Dalits and Muslims. These raids are being carried out to crush our morale but they are mistaken. We have the resilience as we are an organization that is functioning under the pure ethos of democracy.”
The central agencies are conducting raids at the PFI offices in Salem also with the support of the Central police force. PFI and SDPI cadres are protesting against the early morning raids being conducted at the office of the PFI.
