A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Since 2010, the PFI has been accused of multiple incidents of murders, violence, terror and money laundering
2010
PFI men chop off a hand of T.J. Joseph, a Malayalam teacher at Newman College, Thodupuzha, Kerala, for an alleged insult to Prophet Mohammed in an internal question paper set by him; 12 PFI members convicted in 2015
2012
Kerala government tells the high court that PFI members were involved in 27 murders of CPI(M) and RSS cadres, 86 attempt to murder cases and over 125 cases of whipping up communal passions
2013
Police recover weapons, bombs and foreign cash from a PFI training camp in Kannur, Kerala. In 2016, a special NIA court convicts 21 PFI cadres arrested during the raid, though the high court later sets aside the convictions
2016
PFI cadres allegedly involved in the murder of RSS worker Rudresh (Karnataka). They were later accused of a spate of such killings—RSS workers Bibin (Kerala, 2017), Sharath Madivala (Karnataka, 2017), Sanjith and Nandu (Kerala, 2021), BJP leader Praveen Poojary (Karnataka, 2016), SFI leader Abhimanyu (Kerala, 2018), Hindu Munnani spokesperson C. Sasikumar (TN, 2016), PMK functionary V. Ramalingam (TN, 2019),
and BJYM worker Praveen Nettaru (Karnataka, 2022)
2017
NIA submits a report to MHA, suggesting a ban on PFI for its alleged terror-related activities.
In a sting operation conducted by India Today TV, Zainaba A.S., the then head of PFI’s women’s wing, admits that its sister organisation Sathya Sarani runs an elaborate conversion operation. Ahmed Shareef, a PFI founding member, admits that the organisation aims to create an Islamic State
2018
The ED begins its probe against the PFI and its affiliate Rehab India Foundation on charges of money laundering
2019-2021
Intelligence agencies claim the PFI instigated protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019-20 and farmers’ agitation in 2020-2021
2020
The PFI’s role in the Northeast Delhi riots in Feb. comes under the scanner with the arrest of five of its leaders
Mar. 2020
One of the bombers who attacked a gurudwara in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 25 people, is reported to be a PFI member from Kerala
Oct. 2020
Members of the PFI and its student wing arrested in Mathura; police say they were headed to Hathras “to disturb communal harmony” after a Dalit woman’s gangrape and murder Dec. 2020 Seventeen PFI activists held in Karnataka for their role in August riots that left four dead
2021
Accused of fomenting violence in Assam’s Darrang and unrest in MP’s Malwa region
Feb. 2021
ED charges PFI for collecting Rs 1.36 cr. to fund the anti-CAA protests, Delhi riots, Hathras protests
2022
Karnataka government tells the apex court that students behind the hijab row were influenced by the PFI
Apr. 2022
The radical outfit is suspected to be behind communal violence in Rajasthan’s Karauli and Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone in April
May-Jun. 2022
Kerala Police arrest two PFI activists in May on charges of fomenting communal tension; three activists held for Kanpur violence in June
Jun. 2022
The NIA claims that the two men who killed Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal on June 28, for his social media post in support of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma who had made an objectionable remark against the Prophet, had links with the PFI
Jul. 2022
The Telangana police arrest a 52-year-old karate instructor associated with the PFI. He was allegedly training Muslim youth for violent anti-social activities, including stone pelting, rioting, and murder
Jul. 2022
A former Jharkhand cop among three PFI members arrested in Patna between July 11 and 14. An eight-page document with an alleged plan to “establish rule of Islam in India by 2047” recovered from them