Kerala: Police probing PFI's links with Al Qaeda

The Kerala police is probing alleged links of radical PFI, blamed for the attack on a college lecturer, with terror outfits Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al Qaeda, but not found any evidence so far, the state government informed the High Court on Monday.

It was suspected that some members of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) have joined National Development Front (NDF), another radical outfit, and the Popular Front of India, the government said.

This was stated in a counter-affidavit to a petition seeking a ban on PFI and transfer of the lecturer attack case to National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The government assured the court that a proper and detailed investigation will be conducted into the activities of PFI, whose activists chopped off the hand of Professor T J Joseph on July 4 for preparing a question paper with derogatory reference to Prophet Mohammad.

In the affidavit filed by Deputy Secretary (Home) R Rajashekharan Nair, the government made it clear that the case cannot be transferred to NIA as senior officials were investigating it on a daily basis.

The government said the plea of the petitioner was not justifiable. Raids were conducted in all the districts.

Materials, weapons and other items were seized from various places and 24 cases registered in this connection were under investigation, it said.

The allegations that PFI and its sister organization Social Democratic Party of India, are trying to destabilize the central and state governments were also being probed.

Some material seized from these outfits were indeed trying to propagate "certain extreme" ideologies among its cadres, the affidavit said but added a clear picture would emerge only after the probe was completed.

 It also said the powers to ban PFI rests with the Centre. In Kerala, NDF and PFI activists had been involved in several crimes, including murder and attempt to murder, it said.