Indian authorities have arrested Muslim leaders in 11 states.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW DELHI – India’s National Investigation Agency and Law Enforcement Directorate arrested at least 100 Indian Popular Front (PFI) leaders and prominent Islamic figures on Thursday (22/9/2022). The arrests are believed to be part of a campaign of raids by Indian intelligence and other state agencies on the offices and homes of Muslim leaders in 11 states.

reported from Middle East Monitors, On Saturday (24/09/2022), an Indian National Intelligence Service official described the raid and arrest as “the biggest investigative operation ever in India to date”. President PFI OMA Abdul Salam, Deputy Chief EM Abdul Rahman, National Secretary Nasruddin Al Maram and Kerala Unit Chief Muhammad Bashir were arrested in Kerala.

Indian authorities have also arrested prominent Islamic figures in Kerala, including former PFI Chairman and founder of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDI), Erappungal Abubacker, and veteran journalist and Secretary General of the National Confederation of Human Rights (NCHRO), P Koya. .

Several people arrested in the raid by Indian authorities were brought to Patiala House court on Thursday evening, while five PFI members were arrested ahead of a Mumbai court hearing.

The National Investigation Agency also arrested Delhi PFI chief Parvez Ahmed and his brother from Okhla at 3.30am on Thursday.

As many as 1,500 personnel from India’s Police, National Investigation Agency, Directorate of Law Enforcement and Central Armed Police took part in the raid, which began at 01:00 a.m. local time and would end at 05:00 local time, according to International Asian News.

City of The IndianExpress PFI was formed in 2007 by the merger of three South Indian Muslim organisations, the National Democratic Front in Kerala, the Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu.

PFI, which emerged after the banning of the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), has projected itself as an organization that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits and marginalized communities. They often criticize the anti-people policies of Congress, BJP and JD-S in Karnataka.