Back الجبهة الشعبية الهندية Arabic পপুলার ফ্রন্ট অফ ইন্ডিয়া Bengali/Bangla पॉपुलर फ्रंट ऑफ़ इंडिया Hindi പോപ്പുലർ ഫ്രണ്ട് ഓഫ് ഇന്ത്യ Malayalam पॉप्युलर फ्रंट ऑफ इंडिया Marathi ਪਾਪੂਲਰ ਫਰੰਟ ਆਫ ਇੰਡੀਆ Punjabi பாப்புலர் பிரண்ட் ஆப் இந்தியா Tamil పాపులర్ ఫ్రంట్ ఆఫ్ ఇండియా (పిఎఫ్ఐ) Tegulu پاپولر فرنٹ آف انڈیا Urdu

Popular Front of India

Popular Front of India
AbbreviationPFI
PredecessorNational Development Front
Formation22 November 2006 (2006-11-22)
Merger ofKarnataka Forum for Dignity, Manitha Neethi Pasarai
TypeIslamic activist organisation[1][2]
PurposeMuslim political mobilisation[3]
Countering Hindu nationalism[4]
HeadquartersNew Delhi
Region served
India
Chairman
OMA Abdul Salam
Vice Chairman
E.M Abdul Rahiman
General Secretary
Anis Ahmed
Websitewww.popularfrontindia.org
RemarksBanned for five years, beginning 28 September 2022

Popular Front of India (PFI) is an Islamic political organisation in India,[5][6] that engages in a radical and exclusivist style of Muslim minority politics.[7] Formed to counter Hindutva groups,[7] it was banned by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on 28 September 2022 for a period of five years.[8][9]

PFI was founded in 2006 with the merger of the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) and the National Development Front (NDF).[7][10] The organisation described itself as a "neo-social movement committed to empower people to ensure justice, freedom and security".[11] It advocates for Muslim reservations.[12] In 2012, the organisation conducted protests against alleged use of the UAPA law to detain innocent citizens.[13][14]

PFI has often been accused of involvement in anti-national and anti-social activities by the Indian Government. In 2012, the Government of Kerala claimed that the organization was a resurrection of the banned terrorist outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), an affiliate of the Indian Mujahideen.[15][16][17]

PFI has often been in violent clashes with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in parts of Kerala and Karnataka.[18] Activists have been found with lethal weapons, bombs, gunpowder, swords by the authorities. Several allegations have been made on the organization for having links with terrorist organizations[19] such as Taliban and Al-Qaeda.[20]

The organisation has various wings to cater to different sections of society, including the National Women's Front (NWF) and the Campus Front of India (CFI).[21] Including these wings, the ban by Ministry of Home Affairs extended to 8 affiliate organizations of PFI.

  1. ^ Emmerich 2019.
  2. ^ Santhosh & Paleri 2021, p. 574: "Contrary to its claims of being non-religious in character, the PFI is often found to deploy radical Islamic identity for grassroot mobilization and has been accused of engaging in a series of violent incidents with specific religious motifs.".
  3. ^ Santhosh & Paleri 2021, p. 565.
  4. ^ Santhosh & Paleri 2021, pp. 573–574.
  5. ^ Santhosh & Paleri 2021, p. 574.
  6. ^ Emmerich 2019, p. 46.
  7. ^ a b c Santhosh & Paleri 2021.
  8. ^ Das, Krishna N. (28 September 2022). "India bans Islamic group PFI, accuses it of 'terrorism'". Reuters. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Government bans Popular Front of India, affiliates for 5 years on terror links". The Economic Times. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  10. ^ Kumar, Narender (2019). Politics and Religion in India. Taylor & Francis. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-000-69147-4.
  11. ^ "Popular Front of India denies role in terror attacks". The Times of India. 28 March 2015. Archived from the original on 19 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  12. ^ "National campaign for Muslim reservation launched in Pune". Newswala. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Popular Front of India plans month-long campaign to highlight plight of jailed Muslims". The Times of India. 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
  14. ^ "Popular Front's campaign starts". The Times of India. 13 October 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
  15. ^ "PFI is SIMI in another form, Kerala govt tells HC". The Indian Express. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  16. ^ "Ban on 'Freedom Parades' by PFI activists upheld". Zee News. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  17. ^ "PFI is SIMI in another form, Kerala govt tells HC - Indian Express". The Indian Express. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  18. ^ * "popular front of india: Latest News, Videos and Photos of popular front of india | Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022. Over the past years, Kerala and Karnataka have often witnessed violent clashes between workers of the Popular Front of India and the Sangh Parivar.
  19. ^ Khurshid, Salman; Luthra, Sidharth; Malik, Lokendra; Bedi, Shruti (11 June 2020). Judicial Review: Process, Powers and Problems: Process, Powers, and Problems (Essays in Honour of Upendra Baxi). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-83603-6.
  20. ^
  21. ^ "Cops manhandled women during PFI raids: NWF". The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.

Developed by StudentB