Popular Front of India
Encyclopedia
The Popular Front of India (PFI) is a confederation of Muslim organizations in India
, including National Development Front, Manitha Neethi Pasarai
and Karnataka Forum for Dignity
etc. The PFI has about 80,000 members all over the country and claims to advocate for minority and underprivileged groups in India holding demonstrations and marches and denies having links to Islamic terrorist groups.
Accusations have been made that the PFI has links with terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Al Qaeda but these allegations have yet to be proven.
(KFD), the National Development Front (NDF), and Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP). These organisations are active in the states of Karnataka
, Kerala
, and Tamil Nadu
, respectively. The groups came together with the stated intention of supporting underprivileged and marginalized segments of society, such as dalits, the lower classes, and minority communities. A common platform was formed in cooperation with the South India Council as an outcome of a regional discussion attended by Muslim social activists and intellectuals from the South Indian States at Bangalore on the 25th and 26 January 2004. The South India Council has taken up various issues related to community empowerment, especially reservation in education and employment and in cooperation with the Confederation of Muslim Institutions in India and organized a two-day workshop on Muslim Reservations on the 26th and 27 November 2005 at Hyderabad, inaugurated by Rajya Sabha member Rahman Khan. The slogan of the PFI is Naya Karavan: Naya Hindustan, which means "The new traveling way and the new India".
It is felt that if these three independent state-level organizations were to work with more cooperation and coordination, the results would be more evident. The Secretariat of the South India Council which consists of leaders associated with these three organizations gave serious thought to this matter in different meetings. The issue was discussed within the respective organizations as well. All the state organizations have given the opinion that each of them will continue to work separately as independent organizations, but they would work together as constituents of a federation. To mark a successful turning point in the above efforts, a joint meeting of the Secretariat of South India Council and representatives of KFD, NDF and MNP held 22 November 2006 at Calicut decided to launch Popular Front of India as a federation and approved the vision statement.
The Popular Front of India declared that it will confine its activities to the South Indian states and presently this federation includes KFD, NDF and MNP.
Other organizations in the confederation include:
of Karnataka
and Manitha Neethi Pasarai
in Tamil Nadu
and later in 2009, with Goa
's Citizen's Forum, Rajasthan
's Community Social and Educational Society, West Bengal
's Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Samiti, Manipur
's Lilong Social Forum and Andhra Pradesh
’s Association of Social Justice. It has been identified as having many fronts and is dealing with issues such as Muslim reservations, personal law courts for Muslims, cause of Dalits & tribals, scholarships for deprived Muslim students, etc.
Demonstrations and rallies are conducted by the Popular Front of India to make as many people as possible aware about their rights to an education and employment. Caravans and awareness campaigns in cities such as Kokata are also conducted. KM Shareef, the National General Secretary of PFI has asserted that reservation is the most immediate need of Muslims, referencing a report submitted by the Prime Minister’s High Level Committee (Justice Rajindar Sachchar Committee) in November 2006, which identified the Muslim community as more backward than any other, and claimed that insufficient discussion on this topic were taking place in assemblies and parliaments. In the context of the Central Government's decision on reservation in higher education, the South India Council organized three Regional Conventions on Reservation: in Calcuta on 4 August 2006, in Bangalore on 5 August 2006, and in Chennai on 17 August 2006. A National Convention on Reservation in Higher Education was organized by the South India Council jointly with All India Milli Council at New Delhi on 29 August 2006. The dignitaries who addressed the convention include Former Prime Minister V. P. Singh and Union Minister Oscar Fernandez. In 2010, the National Executive Council of the PFI demanded a ten percent reservation for Muslims across India.
, nutrition
, the benefits of yoga
and exercise, and cleanliness.
. The president of the PFI, Mohammed Tahir, claimed the verdict reflects a general insensitivity in the judiciary towards the "common masses."
During the Mangalore plane crash 22 May 2010, Popular Front volunteers involved themselves in the rescue operations jointly with police and firemen in hospitals and other rescue sites. They also worked with expatriates to help families of Mangalore air crash victims with help lines and other support.Imtiyaz,District secretary of Popular Front of India, said that Popular Front workers worked in team during rescue operation. Teams worked in Venlock, Yenappoya and Colaso hospitals. Popular Front members reached to spot at early morning as soon disaster occurred, before firemen come and worked until rescue operation ends, he added.
He said that one of Popular Front member had been injured during rescue operation and admitted to AJ Hospital
The dignitaries who addressed the convention include Mr. V. P. Singh, Hon'ble Former Prime Minister and Mr. Oscar Fernandez, Hon'ble Union Minister.
The following three state level organizations have proved their commitment to the common cause of social justice by actively involving in various programmes of the Council.
Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) (Karnataka State)
National Development Front (NDF) (Kerala State)
Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP) (Tamilnadu State)
When the tsunami wiped out many of the houses and facilities at the end of 2005, the volunteers were actively involved in helping the sufferers of tsunami victims of Kerala and Tamil Nadu with other organizations and government agencies.
, which ended with a public rally that gathered over 150,000 people. In the conference, one of the main guests, Alan Hart
, British journalist specialising in West-Asian affairs, said that he had unlearned many stereotypes about the oppressed classes in the course of making a film on global poverty.
In 2010, the parade was conducted in Uduppi and Mettuppalayam. In the previous years it was conducted in other South Indian cities like Mangalapuram and Madurai
.
In the 2010 parade in Mettupalayam the keynote address was given by O.M.A Salam, the National Secretary of the PFI. In his speech he said, "This Indian Independence Day is the right time to renew our determination to protect the freedom of our beloved country. Once we all India
ns united and fought against British
colonial forces. Then we achieved the freedom. But now the Independence of India is under threat."
Social Justice conference
The Social Justice Conference that calls to "Build the Nation on Justice" will be held at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi
on 26 and 27 November 2011. It is organized by Popular Front of India which is a neo-social movement which strives for the empowerment of the weaker sections and marginalized communities with grass root level networking in many states of India. The Conference will be a get together of like minded organizations and movements which strive for the common goals.The first day of the conference will have two separate seminar session on the topics ‘Together for Empowerment’ and ‘People’s Right to Justice’. The second day will witness a large flow of masses to the Grand Public MeetingThe conferernce was addressed by Syed Shahabuddin, a former MP and Mulayam Singh Yadav
the Samajwadi party
leader. The key address of the conference was to plea teh UPA government to implement the findings of Sachar Committee Report
and the Ranganath Misra Commission
videos from the global Islamic network al-Qaeda
in the possession of one alleged PFI member, and a rifle, fake SIM cards, and fake identity cards in the possession of another member of the PFI. As a result of the incident, the BJP has called for a ban on the PFI and an examinations of possible links between the PFI and the Taliban by the National Investigation Agency. On September 6, 2010, the Kerala Government informed the state high court that investigators thus far found no evidence of a connection between the Popular Front of India with Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e Taiba (Let) or al-Qaeda.
Chief Minister V. S. Achutanandan claimed the PFI has plans to Islamize Kerala over a 20-year-period by influencing "youth of other religions and converting them by giving money, marrying them to Muslim women and thus producing kids of the community.” PFI state unit president Nasaruddeen Elamaram responded by claiming that the charges were baseless and that religious conversion is not a crime, and BJP Mahila Morcha leader Sobha Surendran responded with doubts as to the chief minister's sincerity.
The Kerala High Court closed the 'Love Jihad' case on Dec 2, 2010. In an affidavit presented to the court, the Director General of Police stated there was no movement called ‘Love Jihad
' operating in the State. Justice M. Sasidharan Nambiar disposed of a petition filed by Shahansha and Sirajudheen seeking to quash the criminal cases registered against them in connection with the abduction of two women studying for MBA.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, including National Development Front, Manitha Neethi Pasarai
Manitha Neethi Pasarai
Manitha Neethi Pasarai, also known as MNP, is a Human right organisation in Tamil Nadu, India established in 2001, that has its stated objective as to "work on issues related to minorities and backward communities in Tamil Nadu.Tamil...
and Karnataka Forum for Dignity
Karnataka Forum for Dignity
Karnataka Forum for Dignity is a socio-cultural organization in Karnataka, India, working on issues related to minorities and backward communities in Karnataka, and was formed in the year 2001....
etc. The PFI has about 80,000 members all over the country and claims to advocate for minority and underprivileged groups in India holding demonstrations and marches and denies having links to Islamic terrorist groups.
Accusations have been made that the PFI has links with terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Al Qaeda but these allegations have yet to be proven.
Background
Formed on November 22, 2006 the Popular Front of Inda was is supported by the Karnataka Forum for DignityKarnataka Forum for Dignity
Karnataka Forum for Dignity is a socio-cultural organization in Karnataka, India, working on issues related to minorities and backward communities in Karnataka, and was formed in the year 2001....
(KFD), the National Development Front (NDF), and Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP). These organisations are active in the states of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, respectively. The groups came together with the stated intention of supporting underprivileged and marginalized segments of society, such as dalits, the lower classes, and minority communities. A common platform was formed in cooperation with the South India Council as an outcome of a regional discussion attended by Muslim social activists and intellectuals from the South Indian States at Bangalore on the 25th and 26 January 2004. The South India Council has taken up various issues related to community empowerment, especially reservation in education and employment and in cooperation with the Confederation of Muslim Institutions in India and organized a two-day workshop on Muslim Reservations on the 26th and 27 November 2005 at Hyderabad, inaugurated by Rajya Sabha member Rahman Khan. The slogan of the PFI is Naya Karavan: Naya Hindustan, which means "The new traveling way and the new India".
Objective
marginalized sections and to work for their empowerment. The Popular Front of India declares that they move towards coordination and management of such efforts for the achievement of socioeconomic, cultural and political empowerment of the deprived and the downtrodden and the nation at large. It seeks to establish an egalitarian society in which freedom, justice and security are enjoyed by all.Confederation of organisations
The following three state-level organizations have proved their commitment to the common cause of social justice by actively involving in various programmes of the Council.- Karnataka Forum for DignityKarnataka Forum for DignityKarnataka Forum for Dignity is a socio-cultural organization in Karnataka, India, working on issues related to minorities and backward communities in Karnataka, and was formed in the year 2001....
- (KFD) - National Development Front - (NDF)
- Manitha Neethi PasaraiManitha Neethi PasaraiManitha Neethi Pasarai, also known as MNP, is a Human right organisation in Tamil Nadu, India established in 2001, that has its stated objective as to "work on issues related to minorities and backward communities in Tamil Nadu.Tamil...
- (MNP)
It is felt that if these three independent state-level organizations were to work with more cooperation and coordination, the results would be more evident. The Secretariat of the South India Council which consists of leaders associated with these three organizations gave serious thought to this matter in different meetings. The issue was discussed within the respective organizations as well. All the state organizations have given the opinion that each of them will continue to work separately as independent organizations, but they would work together as constituents of a federation. To mark a successful turning point in the above efforts, a joint meeting of the Secretariat of South India Council and representatives of KFD, NDF and MNP held 22 November 2006 at Calicut decided to launch Popular Front of India as a federation and approved the vision statement.
The Popular Front of India declared that it will confine its activities to the South Indian states and presently this federation includes KFD, NDF and MNP.
Other organizations in the confederation include:
- Lillong Social Forum (Manipur)
- Andhra Pradesh Association for social justice (Andhra Pradesh)
- Community Social and Educational Society (Rajstan)
- Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Samithi (West Bengal)
- Goa Citizens Forum
History
The PFI started in Kerala as successor to National Development Front in 2006. Later it merged with Karnataka Forum for DignityKarnataka Forum for Dignity
Karnataka Forum for Dignity is a socio-cultural organization in Karnataka, India, working on issues related to minorities and backward communities in Karnataka, and was formed in the year 2001....
of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and Manitha Neethi Pasarai
Manitha Neethi Pasarai
Manitha Neethi Pasarai, also known as MNP, is a Human right organisation in Tamil Nadu, India established in 2001, that has its stated objective as to "work on issues related to minorities and backward communities in Tamil Nadu.Tamil...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and later in 2009, with Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
's Citizen's Forum, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
's Community Social and Educational Society, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
's Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Samiti, Manipur
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
's Lilong Social Forum and Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
’s Association of Social Justice. It has been identified as having many fronts and is dealing with issues such as Muslim reservations, personal law courts for Muslims, cause of Dalits & tribals, scholarships for deprived Muslim students, etc.
Education and employment
The PFI conducts School Chalo ("Go To School") program each year during June and July when schools are open, conducting awareness programs to help disadvantaged children attend secondary school.Demonstrations and rallies are conducted by the Popular Front of India to make as many people as possible aware about their rights to an education and employment. Caravans and awareness campaigns in cities such as Kokata are also conducted. KM Shareef, the National General Secretary of PFI has asserted that reservation is the most immediate need of Muslims, referencing a report submitted by the Prime Minister’s High Level Committee (Justice Rajindar Sachchar Committee) in November 2006, which identified the Muslim community as more backward than any other, and claimed that insufficient discussion on this topic were taking place in assemblies and parliaments. In the context of the Central Government's decision on reservation in higher education, the South India Council organized three Regional Conventions on Reservation: in Calcuta on 4 August 2006, in Bangalore on 5 August 2006, and in Chennai on 17 August 2006. A National Convention on Reservation in Higher Education was organized by the South India Council jointly with All India Milli Council at New Delhi on 29 August 2006. The dignitaries who addressed the convention include Former Prime Minister V. P. Singh and Union Minister Oscar Fernandez. In 2010, the National Executive Council of the PFI demanded a ten percent reservation for Muslims across India.
Protests against police misconduct
The PFI has held protests alleging misconduct by police against women and other minorities, such as beatings and fabrication of evidence.Health awareness programs
In November 2009 the PFI conducted health awareness programs, including demonstrations on disease prevention, environmental protectionEnvironmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
, nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, the benefits of yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and exercise, and cleanliness.
Protest against the judiciary
In 2010, PFI representatives held a demonstration protesting the sentencing in the trial resulting from the Bhopal disasterBhopal disaster
The Bhopal disaster also known as Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India...
. The president of the PFI, Mohammed Tahir, claimed the verdict reflects a general insensitivity in the judiciary towards the "common masses."
Rescue operations
Popular Front volunteers participated in rescue and relief operations in floods that struck north Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Assam where there was large-scale devastation and loss to life and property. During a rescue operation, a 50-year-old volunteer named Salahuddin lost his life in the Kurnool district. Thousands of packets of food were distributed and many public facilities and educational institutes were cleaned by the volunteers.During the Mangalore plane crash 22 May 2010, Popular Front volunteers involved themselves in the rescue operations jointly with police and firemen in hospitals and other rescue sites. They also worked with expatriates to help families of Mangalore air crash victims with help lines and other support.Imtiyaz,District secretary of Popular Front of India, said that Popular Front workers worked in team during rescue operation. Teams worked in Venlock, Yenappoya and Colaso hospitals. Popular Front members reached to spot at early morning as soon disaster occurred, before firemen come and worked until rescue operation ends, he added.
He said that one of Popular Front member had been injured during rescue operation and admitted to AJ Hospital
Role of Reservation for Minorities
Popular Front of India with the cooperation of Confederation of Muslim Institutions in India organized a two day Workshop on Muslim Reservation on 26th & 27th November 2005 at Hyderabad. Mr. K. Rahman Khan, Hon'ble Deputy Chairperson, Rajya Sabha inaugurated the same. In the context of Central Government decision to introduce reservation in higher education, South India Council has organized three Regional Conventions on Reservation: at Calicut on 4th August 2006, at Bangalore on 5th August 2006, and at Chennai on 17th August 2006. A National Convention on Reservation in Higher Education was organized by the South India Council jointly with All India Milli Council at New Delhi on 29th August 2006.The dignitaries who addressed the convention include Mr. V. P. Singh, Hon'ble Former Prime Minister and Mr. Oscar Fernandez, Hon'ble Union Minister.
The following three state level organizations have proved their commitment to the common cause of social justice by actively involving in various programmes of the Council.
Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) (Karnataka State)
National Development Front (NDF) (Kerala State)
Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP) (Tamilnadu State)
When the tsunami wiped out many of the houses and facilities at the end of 2005, the volunteers were actively involved in helping the sufferers of tsunami victims of Kerala and Tamil Nadu with other organizations and government agencies.
Empower India Conference
In February 2007, the PFI organised a three-day Empower India Conference in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, which ended with a public rally that gathered over 150,000 people. In the conference, one of the main guests, Alan Hart
Alan Hart (writer)
Alan Hart is an author, former Middle East Chief Correspondent for Independent Television News, and former BBC Panorama presenter specialising in the Middle East.-Career:...
, British journalist specialising in West-Asian affairs, said that he had unlearned many stereotypes about the oppressed classes in the course of making a film on global poverty.
National Political Conference
The grand public meeting at Calicut Beach on 17 February 29 which marked the conclusion of National Political Conference saw the merger of social organizations in eight states into the Popular Front of India. Along with the state presidents of NDF Kerala, MNP Tamil Nadu and KFD Karnataka which had already merged with Popular Front, heads of social organizations in Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Manipur joined hands on the dais with the Popular Front chairman.Freedom Parade on Indian Independence Day
The PFI and its allies conduct a freedom parade on August 15 of every year in celebration of Indian Independence Day with a slogan Be the sentinel of freedom. The national flag is carried in front of the parade by volunteers, and orchestra bands that play patriotic songs are an added attraction to the parade. The parade is followed by public meeting with participation from the public including woman.In 2010, the parade was conducted in Uduppi and Mettuppalayam. In the previous years it was conducted in other South Indian cities like Mangalapuram and Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
.
In the 2010 parade in Mettupalayam the keynote address was given by O.M.A Salam, the National Secretary of the PFI. In his speech he said, "This Indian Independence Day is the right time to renew our determination to protect the freedom of our beloved country. Once we all India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns united and fought against British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonial forces. Then we achieved the freedom. But now the Independence of India is under threat."
Social Justice conferenceSocial Justice conferenceSocial Justice Conference calls for the "Build the Nation on Justice" will be held at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi on 26 and 27 November 2011. It is organized by Popular Front of India which is a Neo-social movement which strives for the empowerment of the weaker sections and marginalized...
2011
The Social Justice Conference that calls to "Build the Nation on Justice" will be held at Ramlila Ground in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
on 26 and 27 November 2011. It is organized by Popular Front of India which is a neo-social movement which strives for the empowerment of the weaker sections and marginalized communities with grass root level networking in many states of India. The Conference will be a get together of like minded organizations and movements which strive for the common goals.The first day of the conference will have two separate seminar session on the topics ‘Together for Empowerment’ and ‘People’s Right to Justice’. The second day will witness a large flow of masses to the Grand Public MeetingThe conferernce was addressed by Syed Shahabuddin, a former MP and Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav in Hindi मुलायम सिंह यादव is an Indian politician and has influence mainly in Uttar Pradesh state of India...
the Samajwadi party
Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party is a political party in India. It is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It describes itself as a democratic socialist party...
leader. The key address of the conference was to plea teh UPA government to implement the findings of Sachar Committee Report
Sachar Committee Report
-Main findings of the report:The entire Sachar Report is available for download at various websites.Some findings are as follows:A..Sachar committee has put a lot of analysis about the Indian Muslim with "statistical reports" based on information from government agencies, banks, Indian Minority...
and the Ranganath Misra Commission
Attack on T. J. Joseph
On July 4, 2010, two PFI activists were arrested in conjunction with an incident in which they allegedly chopped the hand off of a Kerala professor who had allegedly offended the religious sentiments of his students. At the time of the attack, Joseph was coming back from his duties at a private Christian college in Muvattapuzha and had been accused of blasphemy. The Kerala state police claimed to be "unearthing the vast network" of the PFI, and after a series of raids on the houses of PFI members, the district secretary of the PFI "threatened the officer with dire consequences if he continued raiding the houses of its activists." On July 9, 2010, it was reported that PFI installations were being raided by police, and that they had found propagandaPropaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
videos from the global Islamic network al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
in the possession of one alleged PFI member, and a rifle, fake SIM cards, and fake identity cards in the possession of another member of the PFI. As a result of the incident, the BJP has called for a ban on the PFI and an examinations of possible links between the PFI and the Taliban by the National Investigation Agency. On September 6, 2010, the Kerala Government informed the state high court that investigators thus far found no evidence of a connection between the Popular Front of India with Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e Taiba (Let) or al-Qaeda.
Allegations of love jihad
In the fall of 2009, Christian and Hindu groups accused the PFI of promoting a love jihad, in which young men were allegedly enticing women to convert to Islam The Kerala High Court asked the state police to investigate allegations. In late 2009, the Karnataka CID (Criminal Investigation Department) reported that although it was continuing to investigate, it had found no evidence that a "Love Jihad" existed. In late 2009, Director-General of Police Jacob Punnoose reported that although the investigation would continue, there was no evidence of any organisation using men "feigning love" to lure your women to convert to Islam. In early 2010, the state government reported to the Karnataka High Court that although a large number of young Hindu women had converted to Islam, there was no organized attempt to convince them to do so. In the summer of 2010, KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
Chief Minister V. S. Achutanandan claimed the PFI has plans to Islamize Kerala over a 20-year-period by influencing "youth of other religions and converting them by giving money, marrying them to Muslim women and thus producing kids of the community.” PFI state unit president Nasaruddeen Elamaram responded by claiming that the charges were baseless and that religious conversion is not a crime, and BJP Mahila Morcha leader Sobha Surendran responded with doubts as to the chief minister's sincerity.
The Kerala High Court closed the 'Love Jihad' case on Dec 2, 2010. In an affidavit presented to the court, the Director General of Police stated there was no movement called ‘Love Jihad
Love Jihad
Love Jihad also called Romeo Jihad, is an alleged activity under which some young Muslim boys and men reportedly target college girls belonging to non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by feigning love. While similar activities have been reported elsewhere, the term has been used to...
' operating in the State. Justice M. Sasidharan Nambiar disposed of a petition filed by Shahansha and Sirajudheen seeking to quash the criminal cases registered against them in connection with the abduction of two women studying for MBA.
External links
- Popular Front Of India
- Thejas Newspaper
- Create broad-based alliance of all oppressed sections, The Hindu, Feb 18, 2007
- Video summarizing the Empower India Conference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF_UcLNoSKw