BENGALURU: A day after the Central government banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliates, 42 offices linked to the organisation were sealed by the police across Karnataka on Thursday. Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) Alok Kumar confirmed the development. “The offices of the PFI, Campus Front of India, All India Imam Council and Rehab India Foundation were closed,” Kumar said.
Another senior police officer said that teams also searched more than 50 places linked to PFI’s affiliates across the state on Wednesday and Thursday after the Centre imposed the ban.Soon after the ban, the Centre had directed the states to take necessary steps to execute the order and the state government had also issued orders to deputy commissioners and police heads of all districts. Accordingly, the police cracked down on the offices of the PFI and its sister organisations and sealed them.
In the state capital, four places were notified as unlawful under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and were sealed, while 38 offices were sealed by the police in other districts. As many as 12 offices were closed in Mangaluru, nine in Udupi, seven in Dakshina Kannada and four in Kalaburagi.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra held a meeting to discuss the implementation of the ban orders and sought information from the officers on the procedures to be followed in confiscating properties of the organisations and sealing their offices. Additional Chief Secretary of Home Department Rajneesh Goel, DG & IGP Praveen Sood and other senior officers were present in the meeting.