PFI, SDPI activists protest against NIA, ED raids in TN

Chennai, Sep 22 (IANS) The Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) cadres were protesting in Chennai, Dindigul, Salem, and other places of Tamil Nadu against the early morning raids by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the offices of the PFI on Thursday.

The raids were part of nationwide raids that the central agencies were conducting at the premises of the PFI, including New Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala and eight other states.

More than 100 cadres of PFI and SDPI were present in front of the party offices in Chennai after the commencement of the raids. 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 IANS said, "This is the attack by the fascist forces against a social organisation. 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."

The Popular Front of India (PFI) is an Islamist organisation 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 were conducting joint raids at the offices of the PFI as also the residences of some senior office-bearers of the organisation. PFI cadres in large numbers were present in front of the office of the organisation and were protesting against the raids.

Suhail Khan, an office-bearer of the PFI at Dindigul while speaking to IANS 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 organisation that is functioning under the pure ethos of democracy."