Banned PFI Members Active in SDPI; BJP Demands NIA Probe in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised serious allegations, claiming that members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) are actively operating within the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Kerala. The party has filed a formal complaint with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Union Home Ministry, demanding a comprehensive investigation into the alleged involvement of SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami in various recent incidents across the state. Adv. Shone George, BJP state vice-president, submitted the complaint outlining these concerns.

A primary accusation detailed in the complaint is that several recent incidents in Kothamangalam, Kochi, Thamarassery, and Kottarakkara, alongside certain trends observed in the Malayalam cinema industry, are orchestrated activities of the proscribed PFI.

The BJP’s complaint further alleges that former Popular Front activists have seamlessly transitioned into the SDPI. It claims that these individuals are conducting ideological training camps, mirroring the patterns of ISIS. The party has also called for an investigation into what it describes as the anti-national activities of Jamaat-e-Islami.

According to the complaint, the SDPI serves as the political front for the banned Popular Front. It states that following the government’s ban on the PFI, its lower-level cadres and leaders, sharing similar ideologies, sought refuge in the SDPI. The BJP asserts that SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami have jointly organized training camps in districts such as Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Thrissur, Malappuram, and Kozhikode, aimed at propagating ideologies akin to those of ISIS and the Popular Front. The complaint also accuses SDPI activists of involvement in brutal murders in Alappuzha and Palakkad, and of inciting unrest by raising provocative slogans against Hindu and Christian communities throughout Kerala.

The complaint cites an incident in Thamarassery, Kozhikode, where SDPI activists allegedly infiltrated and escalated a protest demanding the closure of a meat waste processing plant named ‘Fresh Cut’. It claims that the agitation turned violent due to the presence of anti-national elements who attempted to sabotage the SDPI’s protest. Furthermore, regarding a case where the Thamarassery Bishop received threatening letters from unknown individuals, while the Thamarassery police registered a case, the BJP alleges that the SDPI’s name was intentionally omitted from the FIR due to the political influence of the ruling party.

In Kottarakkara, Kollam, the complaint details an incident where Anwar Shah, an alleged active member of the banned Popular Front and an SDPI activist, reportedly attempted ‘love jihad’ by threatening a minor Hindu girl. A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered by the police. Shone George claims that, in this instance too, government intervention led to the deliberate exclusion of the SDPI’s name from the FIR.

The complaint also brings to light the suicide case of Sona Eldhose in Kothamangalam, Ernakulam. An FIR was registered against Remees and his parents, who are reportedly closely linked to SDPI and Popular Front activists. Despite allegations from the church leadership and the victim’s parents that such an incident would not have occurred without the strong backing of a radical organization like SDPI, the police reportedly dismissed these claims. Additionally, the principal of St. Rita’s School in Palluruthy, Ernakulam, received a threatening letter concerning the hijab issue. The complaint states that a radical group, closely associated with the local SDPI leadership, had pressured the school to incorporate the hijab into its uniform policy.

The BJP’s complaint extends to the financial aspects of the SDPI, alleging that its funding sources include some wealthy businessmen, collectively referred to as the ‘Mattancherry Mafia,’ who invest in the Malayalam film industry. A thorough investigation into this financial support is also being sought. There are further claims that these individuals were behind the production of the controversial film ‘Haal’.

Finally, the complaint asserts that the Welfare Party, identified as the political wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, is actively luring Muslim youth towards extremist ideologies. Both the SDPI and the Welfare Party are accused of providing sanctuary to individuals who previously operated under the Popular Front and Jamaat-e-Islami.