By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
On September 12, 2017, an NIA report which alleged that the Popular Front of India (PFI), was alleged to have links with “terror” activities and called for banning the Muslim organisation made national headlines.
The report was submitted to the Union Home Ministry, claiming that the group has been involved in terror acts, including running terror camps and making bombs, and was a fit case to be declared banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The agency, according to The Indian Express, has cited PFI’s alleged involvement in four cases to support its claim — chopping off a professor’s palm in Kerala’s Idukki district, organising a training camp in Kannur from where the NIA reportedly seized swords, country-made bombs and ingredients for making IEDs, murder of RSS leader Rudresh in Bengaluru and plans to carry out terror attacks in South India by involving the outfit Islamic State Al-Hindi.
Following the NIA report, various sections of media launched their self-styled crackdown on the organisation, mobilising public opinion to seek a ban on the organisation.
PFI has condemned the vilification campaign by certain sections of media and has challenged them to produce concrete evidence to prove their allegations.
E. Abubacker, Chairman, Popular Front of India in an interview with TwoCircles.net answered our questions and explained the organisation’s position in relation to the allegations and counter allegations made by the media and the NIA;
TCN: Why do you think that Popular Front of India is being opposed by the BJP-led central government?
EA: The Popular Front of India enjoys the support of a majority of the people. We are a law obeying and peaceful organisation working for the empowerment of the marginalised communities, which is a national and democratic cause. Popular Front primarily organises Muslim community to come out of backwardness, marginalisation and discriminations. It also promotes alliance among all different depressed sections such as Tribals, Dalits and other minorities for attaining equal growth and equal justice. This principled stand is against the agenda of Sangh Parivar and BJP which communally divides people. We are opposed by communal fascist forces because of our socio-political stand.
TCN: How do you view the allegations now being levelled against the organisation?
EA: Yes. They are only allegations. Hindutva labs have been producing allegations of extremism and terrorism throughout past 25 years of our existence. The latest smear campaign is that National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted a dossier against Popular Front seeking its ban. We don’t know if it is true. Nobody gave us any notice or sought our explanation. But one thing is clear. There is not even an iota of truth in the reported allegations. Our activities are an open book. There is not even a single valid reason to ban or even control the activities of Popular Front.
TCN: What about your involvement in two most quoted Kerala incidents, that is the attack on a college teacher and conducting an arms training camp?
EA: One of them is a local attack which happened seven years ago in Kerala on a college teacher who insulted Prophet Mohammed (SAW) in a highly obscene language. Popular Front categorically condemned the crime and made absolutely clear in a press meet at that time itself that the organisation was not involved in the incident. In fact, the court verdict of the case also rejected the organisational involvement of Popular Front by stating that there is no evidence to prove that the attack was planned and executed with the consent of the leadership. In another incident, our members attending a health programme were falsely implicated under sections of UAPA. The Kerala High Court revoked the use of UAPA in the case and Supreme Court did not even accept the NIA appeal against the High Court decision.
TCN: Some reports try to link you with the Islamic State (IS). How do you react to this news?
EA: It is an utterly baseless and ill-motivated allegation. Attempts to link Popular Front with IS form part of the Hindutva agenda of creating Islamophobia and demonising Indian Muslims. According to media reports, only about 60 people from about 18-crore strong Indian Muslims are believed to have departed for Syria or Afghanistan. As far as we know, no Muslim organisation in India is recruiting members to Islamic State. In fact, they all have denounced it. The truth is that Popular Front had warned its members and public early enough about mysterious groups like Islamic State and their traps on social media to lure young people into their fold. Popular Front is always against any kind of terrorism by any group.
TCN: Popular Front is also alleged to be a regrouping of banned SIMI. Why?
EA: This theory of SIMI regrouping after its ban is rather amusing. We started our movement in Kerala in 1993 and SIMI was banned in 2001. There are very few members in Popular Front who were in SIMI years before its ban. You can trace more of such persons in other organisations and even in political parties. So why single out PFI?
TCN: It is alleged that you are involved in religious conversions like Hadiya case now before Supreme Court. What is your stand?
EA: Popular Front as an organisation is not involved in religious propagation. Religious conversion is not on our agenda. But we stand for religious freedom and individual rights. You cannot suppress these rights by creating a myth called ‘Love Jihad’. Dr Hadiya got married years after her voluntary conversion to Islam. We stand with her human rights.
TCN: How can you question government agencies like NIA?
EA: NIA, as we know, is basically a federal agency to investigate crime and not supposed to do intelligence and information-gathering work. Now NIA is misused as a weapon by BJP government for political and communal vendetta. On one hand, NIA has wilfully helped get bail for Hindutva criminals involved in Malegaon and Samjhauta Express bomb blast cases and on the other, it played a decisive role in fabricating terror cases against Muslims youths and sending them behind bars.
TCN: What are your main activities?
EA: We organise volunteers for community service at a grassroots level and network them. Our programmes aiming at advancing education, promoting health and alleviating poverty have gained wide appreciations. Popular Front has been pioneering many people’s campaigns and agitations for the protection of democratic rights and against human rights violations. We hold the view that the biggest challenge faced by India today is communal fascism of Sangh Parivar.
TCN: What is your reach beyond South India?
EA: South Indian tag is not fit for us. Popular Front is a pan-India movement with a national Presence from Rajasthan to Manipur and from Tamil Nadu to Delhi.
TCN: How do you plan to face the allegations?
EA: We are confident to overcome any such attempts against the organization through democratic and lawful means. We are a people’s movement. We know that people will be with us.