PFI members arrested in Telangana for training youth

Hyderabad: Police in Telangana’s Nizamabad town have arrested three alleged members of Popular Front of India (PFI) for allegedly training youth to create religious animosity.

Police booked Shaik Sadullah, 40, Mohammed Imran, 22, and Mohammed Abdul Mobin, 27, for allegedly training gullible youth in use of lethal weapons to target people from other communities.

The accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act (UAPA).

Nizamabad police commissioner K.R. Nagaraju said so far four persons have been arrested in the case. About 30 people were identified and the efforts were on to arrest the remaining.

Abdul Khader, 52, was earlier arrested by the police for allegedly imparting training in martial arts. According to police PFI members had hired Khader to impart the training. Sadullah allegedly offered Rs 6 lakh to him for the purpose.

Police registered a case under IPC sections 120 b (conspiracy), 153 a (promoting enmity between groups) and also under section 13 (1) (b) of UAPA.

Police also claimed to have seized ‘nunchuks’ (karate sticks), knives and literature with content to instigate religious animosity was seized from the PFI members, who are all residents of the town.

The commissioner said that though PFI is not a banned organisation, the activities of its members attracted penal action. The organisation reportedly spread its network to other districts like Jagtiyal and Warangal in Telangana and to Kadapa and Kurnool district in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Nizamabad MP D. Arvind alleged that certain police officials were behind the training to youths. He said despite knowledge of the training being imparted to youths, the police did not take action.

The BJP MP demanded that the Nizamabad police commissioner be immediately removed from the post. He claimed that following the pressure from the Central intelligence agencies, the police took action against PFI activists.