All of them were allegedly involved in the violence that broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a senior official said.
In a massive drive, the Uttar Pradesh police has arrested 108 members of Popular Front of India (PFI) in the last four days. All of them were allegedly involved in the violence that broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a senior official said.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Awanish Kumar, informed the reporters that the arrests are in addition to the 25 arrests that were made earlier. "This is just the beginning. We will get to the roots of the organisation. A probe is also going on about their financial dealings. We are in touch with central agencies and are sharing information with them," he said.
He further added that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to take this kind of action against the organisation.
Detailing on the arrests, acting Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said that 14 people were arrested in Lucknow, 21 in Meerut, 20 in Varanasi, 16 in Bahraich, 3 in Sitapur, 9 in Ghaziabad, 6 in Muzaffarnagar, 7 in Shamli, 4 in Bijnor, 5 in Kanpur and one each in Gonda, Hapur and Jaunpur.
When queried about PFI's financial transactions, he said, "We are collecting evidence", adding that the police is continously interacting with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other agencies. However, he declined to comment further.
Asked whether the state police has any information about the PFI's financial transactions from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), he said, "We are collecting evidence."
In December 2019, Uttar Pradesh Police sought a ban on the PFI, suspecting the organisation's complicity in the statewide violent protests against the CAA.
The ban was sought after PFI's Uttar Pradesh head Wasim and 16 other activists were arrested for allegedly masterminding the violence in Lucknow during anti-CAA protests.
Uttar Pradesh police claim that PFI has been active in different parts of India since 2010 and the members of this group have been involved in disrupting peace and harmony in the country.
The PFI describes itself as a neo-social movement committed to empowering people to ensure justice, freedom, and security. It was formed in 2006 in Kerala as a successor to the National Democratic Front (NDF). Security agencies have alleged its leaders have been groomed in the Students' Islamic Movement of India's (SIMI) ideology.
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 "108 PFI members for violence in anti-CAA protests | Image for representation")
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