GUWAHATI:
Twenty five activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) were arrested by Assam Police in a fresh crackdown launched by the sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from different locations of eight Assam districts on September 27.
With this, the total number of arrests from the PFI rose to 36 across the state. Details of the PFI members arrested in the raids are not available yet.
“The fresh arrests have been made in Kamrup Rural (5), Goalpara (10), Karimganj (1), Darrang (1), Dhubri (3), Barpeta (2), Udalguri (1) and Baksa (2) districts,” an official statement of Assam Police said here on Tuesday.
On September 22 and 23, police arrested 11 PFI leaders.
Those arrested are Aminul Hoque, Abdul Razzak, Robiul Hussain, Nazrul Islam Bhuyan, Rafiqul Islam, Abu Sama Ahmed, Farhad Ali, Khalilur Rahman, Mufti Rahmatullah, Bazlul Karim and Minarul Sheikh. While Aminul Hoque is the northeast regional secretary of PFI, Abu Sama Ahmed is the organisation’s Assam unit president and Robiul Hussain is the state unit, general secretary.
Those arrested also include Rafiqul Islam and Mufti Rahmatullah, district unit presidents of PFI’s Nagaon and Barpeta units.
Minarul Sheikh is the West Bengal unit president of the organisation.
A case against all 11 leaders was registered by the special branch of Assam police and they have been charged under sections 120-B, 124-A, 153-A and 353 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal conspiracy, sedition, promoting enmity between different groups and assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty.