'Abhimanyu's Murder Can be Traced to Popular Front': Kerala Cops Arrest 600 PFI, SDPI Workers in a Massive Crackdown

Thiruvananthapuram: After the murder of 20-year-old SFI leader Abhimanyu in Ernakulam college, police have arrested nearly 600 workers of Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on various charges, including promoting enmity between religions and spreading objectionable extremist material.

According to police sources, more arrests are expected to be made soon. A source said that there is a conspiracy and links to Abhimanyu’s murder can be traced to PFI. Seven people, including members of Campus Front, PFI and SDPI, have been arrested so far in connection with the murder.

Maharaja's College student was allegedly stabbed to death on July 1 after a scuffle broke out between workers of the CPI(M)'s student wing and Campus Front of India members over posters being put up inside college premises for Freshers’ Day.

Police found that two people, who were PFI workers, involved in the college professors hand chopping incident are accused in the Abhimanyu murder. Sources say they are part of conspiracy and were "harbouring the accused". During the crack down those activists who were evading arrest in another case of conducting march towards high court protesting the hadiya verdict were also arrested.

The hand chopping case of professor T J Joseph had shook the state on July 4, 2010. Joseph's hand was chopped as a "punishment" for setting up a question paper that had allegedly hurt religious sentiments. The accused were PFI members. Thirty-one men underwent trial at the NIA court, and in 2015 13 were convicted — all activists of PFI.

Of the 660 arrested of SDPI and PFI, some of them were evading arrest in cases like taking out a protest march towards Kerala high court to protest the order on Hadiya case and some other criminal cases. Some of the arrests are under preventive detention.

Police have seized many documents and laptops, which are now being assessed. The officers have also raided the office of PFI in Malappuram, Satyasarani (the institute where Hadiya studied) and Green Valley Institute.

The incident has kicked off a debate in the state, with BJP accusing the Left and Congress-led governments for going soft on PFI and SDPI. On the other hand, the CPI(M) accused the saffron party and Sangh Parivar for “fuelling” the organisations.

Chief Minsiter Pinarayi Vijayan has already made the government’s stand clear that they do not believe in banning any organisation, but “will deal with such forces strongly”.