Anti-CAA protests: 108 PFI members held in 4 days, say UP cops

Giving details of the arrests, acting Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said 14 people were arrested in Lucknow, 21 in Meerut, 20 in Varanasi, 16 in Bahraich, three in Sitapur, nine in Ghaziabad, six in Muzaffarnagar, seven in Shamli, four in Bijnor, five in Kanpur and one each in Gonda, Hapur and Jaunpur.

He said the PFI has a prominent presence in Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Lucknow, Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich, Varanasi, Azamgarh, Ghaziabad and Sitapur.

Asked whether the state police had obtained any information about the PFI’s financial transactions from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the acting DGP said, “We are collecting evidence”. He said they were interacting regularly with the ED and other agencies but declined to comment further.

Last month, the state government had recommended a ban on the PFI, on the basis of a report prepared by the UP DGP’s office which said members of the organisation were involved in the protests against CAA. The Centre is yet to to take a call on the recommendation.

Twenty people died during the anti-CAA protests in the state.

PFI’s state president Waseem Ahmed, treasurer Nadeem Ahmed, division in-charge of Bahraich and Barabanki Maulana Ashfaq, division in-charge of Varanasi Rahees Ahmed and ad-hoc committee member Naseerudeen were among those arrested earlier. Many of them, including Waseem Ahmed, have since been released on bail.

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