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BENGALURU: In continuation with the massive crackdown against the Popular Front of India (PFI) last week, the Karnataka police early Tuesday morningtook 70 people into preventive custody from across the state. Informed sources told TNIE that those with past history of anti-social behaviour and those who had protested against the arrest of 15 PFI members leading to law-and-order problem last week, have been taken into preventive custody.
“The police after preparing the Preventive Action Report (PAR) of the detainees have produced them before the Tahsildar. They will have to submit third party sureties of good behaviour to the former for their release. Until such time, they will be held in preventive custody,” said sources. “In some districts, sureties have been submitted to the Tahsildar, in others the procedure is underway,” they added. Breach of sureties will lead to punitive action against those released on sureties.
The state police last week arrested 15 PFI cadres from 18 premises of PFI members in Bengaluru and Mangaluru cities, Dakshina Kannada district, Shivamogga, Koppala, Davanagere, Udupi, Mysuru and Kalaburagi under Sections 120B, 121, 121(a) and 153 (a) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government of India, conspiracy to commit offences and promoting enmity between religious communities in the First Information Report (FIR) (328/22) registered against them at the KG Halli police station in Bengaluru East. In Kalaburagi, police raided the residences of two PFI activists - Mazar Hussain and Isamuddin - residents of Iqbal Colony, and took them into custody.
PFI men detained from Bidar, Belagavi, Vijayapura
In Bidar, the PFI district unit president Abdul Karim and district unit secretary of SDPI Sheikh Maqsood were taken into custody by the police on Tuesday morning. In Yadgir district, PFI activists - Mohammad Haseem Patel and Bandenawaz - residents of Gogi village of Shahapur taluk, were taken into custody for “delivering provocative speech after the arrest of PFI/SDPI leaders last week,” said senior police officers. “They were detained by the police because there were chances that they may deliver provocative speeches again leading to the law-and-order problem,” said some senior police officers.
In Belagavi, police raided the offices and houses of PFI and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) members around 4 am, and detained seven persons - Zakiulla Farooque Faizi, Salauddin Babusab Khillewale, Abhidkhan Gouskhan Kadoly, Badruddin Hasamsab Patel, Samiulla Abdulmajid Peerajade, Jaheer Goshamodin Gheewale and Rehan Abdul Azeez Shayannavar under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ravindra Gadadi.
Meanwhile, according to police sources, the house of one of the PFI leaders - Naveed Kadagi - was also raided at Angol. But he was found to be absconding. Police are searching for him.
It may be recalled that last week, PFI activists had blocked the Pune-Bengaluru highway for about 30 minutes near Kakati in Belagavi to protest against the NIA/ED raids on the houses of PFI and SDPI leaders. Police had rushed to the spot and asked the protesters to withdraw their agitation immediately. This had led to a verbal clash between the police and the agitators which created tension.
In Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts, eight persons - seven from Bagalkot and one person from Vijayapura affiliated to PFI - were detained. In Bagalkot, four persons - one each from Ilkal, Mahalingapura and Banahatti taluka were detained from Jamkhand. The district president of PFI in Vijayapura is among the detained.
The police have produced all the arrested in the respective taluk courts. Speaking to TNIE, SP of Vijayapura, HD Ananda Kumar, said that the main reason behind the detention is that they were threatening peace and tranquility in the region. “They had indulged in anti-national activities and had provoked people against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), 2019,” said the officer.
In Shivamogga and Bhadravathi, the police detained five PFI workers. In Dakshina Kannada (DK) and Udupi, 19 persons with alleged links with PFI were detained by the police. In Mangaluru city, 11 PFI activists, and four each from Udupi and DK district police were detained. Mangaluru City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said that 11 persons were detained from different police station limits and were booked under CRPC 107 and 151 on the pretext that they may threaten law and order situation. The detainees include Abdul Jaleel K, Mahammad Sharief, Muzair Kudroli, Mohammed Naufal Hamza, Shabeer Ahammad, Nawaz Ullal, Mohammed Iqbal, Davood Nowshad, Nazeer, Ismail Engineer and Ibrahim. “Since Jaleel has a health issue, he has been admitted to a private hospital. The DK SP Rishikesh Sonawane gave the names of the detained as Raziq, Feroz, Eijaz Ahmed and Jabir Ariyadka.
In Hassan, police detained district president and general secretary of SDPI Siddique Anemahal and Syed Fareed as a precautionary measure, said SP Hariram Shankar. In Kodagu, Kushalnagar police detained a PFI activist in Suntikoppa - Harris (37), a native of Tannirhalla in Somwarpet taluk over several pending cases against the accused.
NO RAIDS, ONLY PREVENTIVE MEASURES, SAYS CM
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday clarified that the police took preventive measures through the respective tahsildars by detaining the Popular Front of India (PFI) activists. “No raids were conducted on the PFI members. Based on inputs, police took certain preventive measures. Similar measures have been taken in other states too,” he told reporters.