The Jharkhand government on February 12 banned the Islamic terrorist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) for its links with the Islamic State (IS) under Section 16 of The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908.
“The state has banned the Popular Front of India, which is active in Jharkhand, under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908. The Home Department had recommended the ban,” a government statement had said.
“The PFI is very active in Pakur district. The members of the PFI, which was set up in Kerala, are influenced by the IS. According to Home Department report, some PFI members have even gone to Syria from southern states and are working for the IS,” the statement added.
This is not the first time the PFI was banned in the state. On February 20, last year, the BJP government had banned the Islamic terrorist outfit for its connections with the Islamic State. However, in August 2018, the High Court had set aside the government’s decision.
The Popular Front of India hit the headlines recently for brutally killing a Dalit activist Ramalingam in Tamil Nadu after he raised reasonable objections against forceful religious conversions. After initial apathy, police arrested five members of the PFI in connection with the murder.
