Kerala Police deny reports of its 873 officers having link to PFI

The Kerala police on Tuesday denied media reports on some of the state's police personnel having affiliations to the banned outfit—Popular Front of India.

Following the nationwide pre-dawn raids on its offices and leaders' houses, the PFI was banned by the Union Government on September 29.

Afterwards, some news outlets reported that the NIA report carries details of at least 873 police personnel having links to the banned outfit.

The Kerala police tweeted on October 4 saying "The news that the NIA has handed over a report to the state police chief that 873 personnel of the Kerala Police have links with the banned outfit Popular Front of India is baseless," according to the News Minute.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer told TNM that that no such information is available with them, denying the report.

Only recently, in an exemplary step the Kerala police terminated from service a cop after he was found guilty of leaking information on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

The officer, Anas PK who had reportedly accessed data of the District Crime Records Bureau, which is available only to the police, was first suspended by the police department in December 2021.

In July this year, Ramla Ismail who was an Assistant Sub-Inspector with the Kanjirappally Police Station in Kottayam was suspended for sharing a post of PFI Kerala secretary AA Rauf, according to the report.

An internal investigation found Ramla having violated police discipline.

Rauf in a FaceBook post had criticised the Kerala police as well as local courts.

Two Fire and Rescue Service officers KK Shaiju and AS Joji were suspended and three others got transferred after they reportedly trained PFI cadre in rescue and relief operations.

Following which, a circular banned all kind of training for religious and political outfits.