MANGALURU: Campus Front of India (CFI) members held a protest here on Saturday condemning the arrest of organisation's national general secretary Rauf Shareef. CFI members also made an attempt to gherao the office of Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, who is also the state president of the BJP, as part of their ‘MP Office March’.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Rauf Shareef reportedly under sections of the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after he was apprehended at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala, a few days ago.
CFI members shouted slogans against ED near the deputy commissioner’s office premises where the MP’s office is located.
Meanwhile, BJP state spokesperson Ganesh Karnik condemning the incident said the party will urge the state government to ban Popular Front of India (PFI – the parent wing of CFI). “We will seek a ban on PFI, which is engaged in anti-national activities. It is ridiculous to protest the arrest of persons who are engaged in anti-national activities. The ED has taken up the investigation in the interest of the nation. Action should be taken against all those who protested,” Karnik stated in a release.
He added that funds to the tune of Rs 2 crore were transferred from Oman and Qatar through Shareef and the money was allegedly used for anti-national activities. “The ED has arrested him considering this,” he added.