On Tuesday, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) moved to the Kerala HC seeking compensation of Rs 5.06 crores from the Popular Front of India (PFI) for losses caused to the corporation during the strike called by the PFI. The PFI on September 13 had called for state-wide protests against the NIA raids and had damaged around 71 KSRTC buses.
According to the reports, the PFI workers created a ruckus in the state during the protest last week and damaged several KSRTC buses by pelting stones at them and breaking the bus windshields. Buses and cars were damaged by the PFI workers at Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, and Wayanad districts of Kerala.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) moves Kerala HC seeking compensation of Rs 5.06 crores from Popular Front of India (PFI) for losses caused to the corporation due to the strike called by PFI on Sept 23, where 71 KSRTC buses were damaged & 11 employees were injured.
— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2022
As reported earlier, many of the private buses were also destroyed by the PFI workers. Around 71 of the KSRTC buses were damaged and 11 KSRTC employees were injured. The corporation incurred severe losses from the attack and has sought compensation of Rs 5.06 crores from the Popular Front of India (PFI).
Reports mention that the buses have become non-operational from September 23 and that the losses incurred from non-operation of these services will be accounted as loss from the hartal. The buses will resume their services only after repair works.
The Kerala High Court earlier filed a suo motu complaint against members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) for declaring a one-day statewide bandh in the state without permission and for inciting violence. The court stated that hartal had previously been prohibited and that the damage to public property could not be tolerated.
The Court impleaded PFI State General Secretary A Abdul Sathar as an additional respondent in the case and has directed the State government to file a report. The matter will be taken up next on September 29.
The second phase of the statewide crackdown on the Islamic group Popular Front of India (PFI) is underway, days after multi-agency raids on key leaders and officials resulted in over a hundred arrests. So far, 247 people have been arrested. Investigations are being carried out in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. PFI has been accused of supporting terrorism, arming Muslim youngsters, and radicalizing them to join terrorist organizations.
