ED raids SDPI's offices over alleged links with banned PFI
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted nationwide searches on Thursday, March 6, as part of a money laundering investigation against the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political outfit of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), official sources said.
The searches come after the federal probe agency arrested SDPI national president M K Faizy on March 3 at the Delhi airport. He is currently in ED custody.
The searches were carried out at two locations in Delhi, including the SDPI headquarters in Nizamuddin West, Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram in Kerala, Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh, Pakur in Jharkhand, Thane in Maharashtra, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Jaipur, the sources said.
The ED had claimed, after the arrest of fifty-five-year-old Faizy, that there was an “organic” relationship between the two outfits and that the PFI was carrying out its criminal activities through the political party (SDPI).
The PFI was banned by the Union government in September 2022, calling it an unlawful association and accusing it of indulging in terrorist activities. Multi-agency searches by the ED, NIA and various state police organisations preceded the PFI ban.
The SDPI was founded in 2009 and is also registered as a political party with the Election Commission of India.
The ED told the court, while seeking Faizy’s remand earlier this week, that PFI and SDPI were “organically” linked and that SDPI was nothing but the “political front” of PFI and was “funded and controlled” by the latter.
It claimed that it had evidence to state that there was a “deep-rooted” nexus between the two organizations, as there was “overlapping” membership of their cadres, involvement of PFI office bearers in the founding of SDPI, and the utilization of each other’s assets.
“SDPI is a front organisation of PFI through which PFI has been carrying out its anti-national and criminal activities, even while overtly taking a stand that PFI is a social welfare organisation,” the ED had alleged.
According to officials in the investigative agencies, the organisation has a “strong” influence in various pockets of Kerala, Karnataka and some other southern states.
However, the SDPI denies such a link and terms the ED raids on its offices and arrest of its leader MK Faizy as a way to crush the “Save Waqf Properties” movement being launched by SDPI across the country.
Speaking with media in Nandyal, one of the SDPI leaders stated that the ED has become a toolkit in the hands of the Centre.
“Even in the recent past the ED had raided the residence of one of our advocates. Even today four ED officers raided our office. They are doing their duty, but except torn papers and pamphlets they won’t find anything,” the SDPI activist said.
He also said that SDPI has been launching protests, rallies and public meetings across the country, which have gained a lot of support from the people. He said SDPI has been on the forefront of the movements against the BJP’s anti-national and anti-constitutional policies, the reason why it was being targeted.
“In the next few days even the All India Muslim Personal Law Board is going to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar against the Waqf Amendment Bill. We are not scared of anyone and this movement can’t be suppressed. We were informed beforehand that agencies like NIA and ED will be conducting raids on our offices, so we have been prepared for this,” the activist said, asserting that the party will not rest till Faizy was released.
(With inputs from agencies)
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