REPUBLIC INVESTIGATION PART 1: PFI started planning earlier this year

In the last few weeks, several parts of the country have witnessed violent protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Public property has been damaged and lives were lost in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. From stone-pelting to Molotov cocktails, few protestors in these states were armed to the teeth. Were the protests spontaneous in nature? Republic TV carried out a deep investigation to uncover the truth over the last few weeks. This is what we found; barring few protests which were peaceful in nature with the aim to speak out, most of the protest that took place in the national capital and Uttar Pradesh were completely instigated. Organisations like PFI-SDPI played an important role to stoke fire.

INVESTIGATION: PFI LINK TO NATIONWIDE ANTI-CAA PROTESTS

ASSAM POLICE AND UTTAR PRADESH POLICE PROBE REVEALS PFI CONSPIRACY:

More than a dozen arrests that have been made in Uttar Pradesh which have a direct link to PFI. Three senior PFI members were arrested from Lucknow and 2 from Shamli. These are the top leadership of PFI in Uttar Pradesh. Shamli police also arrested other small-time members of PFI. The accused in custody have admitted that they mobilised the crowd in Lucknow. So far they have denied they have any role in arson.

READ: Islamic outfits PFI, SIMI supected behind UP violence, death toll rises to 17

TOP UP POLICE SOURCE: THE PLANNING

According to top police sources, PFI leadership had a meeting in the national capital in September, October and November. Discussions on Ram Janmabhoomi, NRC and CAB took place. They had already decided to protest on Ram Janmabhoomi and NRC in these meetings. Police have recovered materials that suggest that they were already planning to carry out nationwide protests.

READ: Links of PFI, SDPI to Mangaluru violence emerge; Karnataka BJP says govt considering ban

PFI MODUS OPERANDI, ACCORDING TO UP POLICE:

One-to-one communication in eastern and western UP (Bahraich, Kanpur, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Firozabad). Provocative literature was being circulated through whatsapp. Trips were also made to Kerala after the meeting in the national capital. UP police suspects that there is a pattern to the protests. “Maximum violence has taken place in BJP ruled states. We suspect that this is a part of their (PFI) strategy,” said a senior police officer. At this stage, the police is investigating the source of ammunition like Molotov cocktails. “The miscreants were fully armed.”

READ: AIMIM slams SDPI-PFI for alleged role in anti-CAA violence, backs UP police probe

ASSAM VIOLENCE — PFI LINK:

PFI Assam Chief Animul Haque has also been arrested. He is been charged for conspiring, planning and facilitating the violence in Assam. Police suspects that he and his close aide were involved in in the attack on Dispur Secretariat. Assam Police suspects that there has been a coordinated effort by the national PFI leadership to carry out attacks in Assam and Uttar Pradesh.

READ: Anti-CAA violent protests: SDPI & PFI under police scanner for allegedly inciting violence