While the radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) has said that it has come together with TMC to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, TMC seems to be distancing itself from it.
According to ANI, Hasibul Islam, a senior member of radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India(PFI) on Thursday said that they will be organizing a protest on January 5 against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Murshidabad. Islam said that Murshidabad Trinamool Congress MP Abu Taher Khan will also be a part of the protest.
Hasibul Islam,Popular Front of India(PFI): We are organizing a protest on January 5 against the #CitizenshipAmendmentAct in Murshidabad. MP(TMC) Abu Taher Khan will also be a part of the protest. #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/K4BU5Mx13o
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2020
Responding to PFI’s invitation, Trinamool MP Abu Taher Khan stated that he has no knowledge about such protests in Murshidabad organised by PFI. However, Khan without distancing himself from the PFI, stated that he can not do anything if PFI mentioned his name in the protest posters.
Trinamoold Congress (TMC) MP from Murshidabad, Abu Taher Khan: I have no knowledge about this (PFI claimed he will attend their protest against CAA on 5th January). If they have mentioned my name in their poster, I can not do anything about it. https://t.co/fklqlCyJFH
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2020
As radical Islamic organisations created unrest across the country, the state of West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee deliberately chose to remain on sidelines fearing more violence by these Muslim mobs. The rampage of the Muslim mob continued for many days in West Bengal under the watch of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the administration did not even attempt to control the riots that destroyed crores worth of public infrastructure.
It would be rather unsurprising to see if Mamata Banerjee led TMC were to join hands with PFI to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The PFI, which is currently active in seven states of India, is responsible for activities that disrupt peace and harmony in the country.
It is pertinent to note that PFI is behind violent communal riots in various states especially in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka that took place during the anti-CAA protests.
According to Delhi police, around 150 members of the radical Islamist outfit PFI had entered Delhi from different states on the 13th of December, two days before the violence in Jamia Millia Islamia University. They had, according to the police and intelligence agencies hid in the Jamia area before the violence broke out.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had also stated that radical Islamist groups like Popular Front of India (PFI) and mainstream political parties conspired to perpetrate violence and unleash riots during the anti-CAA protests in various parts of the state on December 20.
In connection with the riots, the Uttar Pradesh police had arrested 25 members of the Islamic fundamentalist outfit-Popular Front of India for their involvement in different criminal activities during the protests held against the Citizenship Amendment Act throughout the state.
Further, the intelligence reports shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs also noted that some ‘political parties’ and banned radical Islamist outfits like SIMI and PFI are behind the violent protests in several places across the country.
