The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted dawn attacks on the PFI-SDPI network in 15 states across India.
On Thursday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted dawn attacks on the PFI-SDPI network in 15 states across India. Leading to the arrest of 106 suspects, including Islamist group chairman OMS. Salam was a massive exercise involving the federal agency, 86 platoons of paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies, and state police.
The speed and radio silence maintained by all those engaged caught the accused completely off guard. The representatives of the Islamist group were wheeled to safe locations before their supporters became aware of the entire operation.
Given the group’s clout and support in southern states, the entire operation could have devolved into violence and futility.
While the agency head briefed all 300 NIA officers on the ground, in detail a day prior to the raid. It was led by senior IPS officers. Last-minute changes were made to ensure that the entire operation went off without a hitch. The initial “door knock” time on Thursday was 4 a.m. But I moved up to 3.30 a.m. to increase the element of surprise. All raids ran in charge of DG NIA and the headquarters.
The numerous raids on the PFI and its political wing SDPI this week were the culmination of months of detailed case study, data collection, and collation by intelligence agencies. Before the raids, the Intelligence Bureau distributed a detailed dossier to all involved agency heads. The truth is that all concerned agency heads were awake all night during the raids and then issued orders to legal teams to take the accused into NIA custody.
The PFI may call itself a socio-religious organization. But the Islamist organization’s overarching goal is the same as that of the Islamic State. Their goal is to establish an Islamic Caliphate in India. The PFI has diligently scattered all over India from Kerala with financing from West Asian countries. Wherever the Muslim Brotherhood is a dominant force, such as Qatar, Kuwait, and Turkey, with a cadre of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) at its core.
In these countries, the organization is popular to collect funds through various shell outfits in the name of spreading Islam. The organization primarily serves as an ideological platform for radicalizing youth toward political Islam. They then resort to violent means to achieve their goals by joining jihadist outfits in the Af-Pak region and beyond.
The September 22 raids and successive prosecution of the accused may not have completely destroyed the organization, but they will serve as a deterrent to those considering joining this group in the future. It will also send a message to other extremists in India who use religion for political purposes. The NIA’s various raids on PFI were clearly a major and timely disrupter, as the Islamist organization would have spiraled out of control and threatened India’s communal fabric.