Removal of PFI necessary to make India terror-free: Vishwa Hindu Parishad spokesperson Vinod Bansal

New Delhi [India], September 28 (ANI): Expressing the need to finish terrorism in the country, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s spokesperson Vinod Bansal on Wednesday said that the country could not be terror-free unless the “clan of terror” is abolished.
“This (Popular Front of India) was a clan of terror, whose terrorism cannot be finished until and unless you destroy its clan…,” Bansal told ANI while reacting to the evidence gathered by the Centre, following which it banned the PFI and its affiliate organisations, on the late night of Tuesday, for being involved in terror activities.
“Their supporters also needed to be restricted else the way PFI came after Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), some other CFI will come after PFI,” he added emphasising the need to finish the supporters of such organisations.
The Centre should ensure that no such outfit emerges after the PFI, he said.
Expressing happiness over the central government’s decision, he mentioned that the ban sought was ‘age old’ and said, “Congress and parties that originated from Congress have supported them politically”.
This unprecedented decision of the Central government is welcomed, he said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday night made the announcement through a notification declaring “the PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts as an unlawful association with immediate effect”.
Along with PFI, the ban was also imposed on its fronts including Rehab India Foundation (RIF). Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala as an “unlawful association”.
The notification had said that PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts have been indulging in unlawful activities, which are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country and have the potential to disturb public peace and communal harmony of the country and support militancy in the country.
It had further said that some of PFI’s founding members are the leaders of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and PFI has linkages with Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), both of which are proscribed organisations.
There had been a number of instances of international linkages of PFI with global terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); the PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts have been working covertly to increase the radicalization of one community by promoting a sense of insecurity in the country, which is substantiated by the fact that some PFI cadres have joined international terrorist organisations, said the notification.
“The Central Government, having regard to the above circumstances, is of the firm opinion that it is necessary to declare the PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts as an unlawful association with immediate effect, and accordingly, in the exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 3 of the said Act, the Central Government hereby directs that this notification shall, subject to any order that may be made under section 4 of the said Act, have effect for a period of five years from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette,” it had said.
The National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and the state police forces jointly coordinated searches at the houses and offices of the PFI leaders and members across India.
Searches were conducted at 93 locations in 15 states of India in which over 100 activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) were arrested. (ANI)