A Delhi court that heard the concluding arguments of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding the banning of the Popular Front of India (PFI) witnessed heated exchanges between the defence and the prosecution counsels, as the prosecution termed the PFI “the most sinister organisation” which, if left unchecked, would have led to a civil war, alleging that it had hatched plans to raise an army while luring and filling Muslim youth with hatred against Hindus.
However, the defence argued that if the RSS could claim to work towards a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, the PFI was equally entitled to aspire to an Islamic nation, asking, “If the RSS is right, how can they be wrong?”, The Indian Express reported.
NIA Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi argued that the distinction lay in means and intent, contending that the RSS was a nationalist organisation that neither colluded with Pakistan nor sought India’s destruction through unlawful means, while maintaining that Hindutva is a way of life.
The arguments concluded before Special Judge Prashant Sharma of the Patiala House Court, who reserved his order on the framing of charges in the case. The proceedings, which had continued for nearly three months, centred on allegations that the banned outfit had conspired to radicalise Muslim youth and promote enmity against Hindus as part of a wider plan to destabilise the country.
Special Public Prosecutor Tyagi further argued that the PFI had concealed its true objectives behind welfare and socio-economic activities. According to the agency, the organisation systematically recruited young Muslim men, indoctrinated them with extremist ideology and sought to prepare them for a campaign aimed at establishing an Islamic state.
The NIA further alleged that cadres of the organisation were encouraged to establish links with the Islamic State, travel to Syria to learn operational methods and subsequently replicate similar activities in India.
Investigators also claimed that the outfit-maintained lists of political and religious figures marked for elimination and attempted to procure firearms and military-style training through contacts with surrendered militants.
The defence challenged the prosecution’s narrative, drawing comparisons with ideological positions espoused by the RSS and contending that political aspirations alone could not constitute criminal conduct.
The case involves 20 accused persons in addition to the organisation itself. Following the court’s order on charges, the matter is expected to proceed to trial. The Union government had banned the PFI in September 2022, citing alleged links to extremist activities and threats to national security.