Scene of bustle a fortnight ago, Kerala PFI office now wears a deserted look

NIA launched a massive crackdown on PFI across the country, arresting its top leaders including those who founded it a decade ago

The Kerala headquarter of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) here was vibrant with hustle and bustle a fortnight ago as part of a rally organised by the outfit at the beach on September 17.

Days after the rally which saw provocative statements by leaders of PFI and its allied organisations against RSS, multi-agency teams spearheaded by the NIA launched a massive crackdown on the radical Islamic outfit across the country, arresting its top leaders including those who founded it a decade ago.

Since then, there were not many activities in its office situated in Meenchantha and it wore a deserted look on Wednesday, hours after central government banned it over its alleged links to terror organisations like ISIS.

Also Read | Centre has declared PFI 'unlawful': What does that mean?

Although the outfit was Delhi-headquartered, most of its top leaders including chairman OMA Salam, general secretary Nasarudheen Elamaram, former chairmen E Abubacker and E M Abdul Rahiman and theoritician P Koya were mostly operating from the Kerala headquarter called "Unity House".

The popularity of the organisation among certain section of the Muslim community, cutting across sects was such that its several thousand supporters had participated in the rally with the theme 'save the republic'.

However, the local leaders and supporters were yet to come out of the aghast of the crackdown on the outfit and later a ban on their organisation.

In fact, few of its local but prominent leaders, who were active in the September 17 rally, now shied away from identifying themselves with PFI and claimed to be part of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a political offshoot of the now banned organisation, which is also under the radar of the security agencies.

Also Read | Centre declares PFI 'unlawful', bans it for five years

When contacted, a Public Relations Officer (PRO) of PFI said he does not have any idea about its current leaders and their activities.

The decision to form PFI was taken in 2006, after leaders of three like-minded outfits from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka sat together and discussed the need for such a pan-India outfit for empowering the Muslim community from their socio, economic and political backwardness and welfare of other marginalised sections.

After its birth in 2006, PFI soon expanded its operations in other states in north, west and east and northeastern parts of the country. It further spread its wings after the merger of various social organisations with it.