Uttar Pradesh ATS raids in 20 districts, 70 PFI sympathisers detained

LUCKNOW: At least 70 people, said to be the facilitators of banned organization Popular Front of India (PFI), were detained after the UP anti-terrorist squad (ATS) carried out search operations in 20 districts of the state. The teams conducted searches in Lucknow, Meerut, Moradabad, Varanasi, Azamgarh, Saharanpur, and Ghaziabad, among others.
Besides, UP ATS arrested Pervez Ahmad and Raees Ahmad from Chetganj area of Varanasi on Sunday. The two are accused of helping PFI in expanding their cadre.
ATS suspects that those detained were in contact with PFI agents. Total 30 special teams of ATS conducted the operation. At least 211 people were identified across the state with the help of central agencies.
The searches were going on in Meerut, Barabanki, Varanasi, Lucknow, Aligarh, Ayodhya, Bahraich, Balrampur, Deoria, Siddharthnagar, Shamli, Moradabad, till the last reports came in.
Special DG, law and order, Prashant Kumar, said that government of India in September 2022 had declared PFI and its eight ancillary organisations to be indulging in spreading regressive regime through means of terror and posing threat to unity of the nation.
"On the information of central agencies, 211 persons working as sympathisers of PFI were identified," said Kumar.
Giving details of the operation, Kumar said that 21 members who were found to be active were booked in the districts of Meerut, Barabanki, Varanasi, Lucknow, Aligarh and Ayodhya, while cases of breach of peace were registered against 132 others.
Apart from that, 11 were detained in Shamli, 10 in Ghaziabad, nine were detained in Lucknow, eight in Varanasi, five in Bijnor, four in Meerut, three each in Muzaffarnagar, Barabanki and Azamgarh, two each in Kanpur, Deoria, and Bahraich, one each in Sitapur, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Bulandshahr, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Rampur and Amroha.
"Forensic department will scan their mobile phone handsets, their social media profiles and check other antecedents," added Special DG Kumar.