Delhi University student allegedly detained during midnight raid; students connect it to PFI ban

The Government of India has declared Campus Front of India (CFI), among other Popular Front of India (PFI)-associated organisations, as having “unlawful association”
Pic: Special arrangement
Pic: Special arrangement

A student of Delhi University (DU), who is also a student activist, has been detained by the Delhi Police from his residence in Shaheen Bagh. This has been done as part of the nationwide crackdown against the now banned Popular Front of India (PFI), student activists allege.

Student activists from the All India Students’ Association (AISA) informed EdexLive that Shoaib Ahmad, a student from Zakir Hussain College, DU was detained yesterday, September 27.

It may be noted that yesterday, the Government of India declared Campus Front of India (CFI), among other Popular Front of India (PFI)-associated organisations, as having “unlawful association” and has banned the outfit for five years for its alleged terror activities.

Mohd Abuzar Choudhary, a friend of Shoaib's, informed EdexLive that he had no connection with the PFI. “The police raided his house but he has no connection with the organisation. We have no information about whether he is in judicial custody or in illegal detention,” said Mohd, who is also a freelance journalist.

He also posted in a tweet that the student was taken by the police without any prior notice. “At 3:30 am tonight, I received a phone call informing me that the police had detained my friend Shoaib Ahmad from his residence in Shaheen Bagh. When I reached Shoaib’s residence, his father informed me that 20-25 officials, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF), had raided the house at 3 am tonight and took him without giving us any information or notice,” Mohd stated in a tweet.

The notification on PFI

In a notification issued late Tuesday (September 27) night, the Union Home Ministry said the Central government is of the opinion that the PFI and its affiliates have been involved in subversive activities, thereby, disturbing public order and undermining the constitutional set-up of the country and encouraging and enforcing a terror-based regressive regime, as stated in a report by PTI.

In addition to the raids, the Delhi Police had imposed Section 144 in the entire Okhla (Jamia Nagar) with effect from September 17, 2022, to October 11 2022. As a result, Jamia Millia Islamia had warned students, teaching and non-teaching staff members of its institute to not assemble in groups/marches/agitations/dharna meetings and so on in and outside the campus for the next two months.

“These raids, random arrests and the imposition of Martial Law is a crude infringement of the democratic rights of Jamia,” said AISA in an official statement released today.

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