Miscreants hurled a bottle filled with an inflammable substance at the BJP office in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore on Thursday night triggering tension in the area. Police reached the spot to take control of the situation and conduct a preliminary investigation. No injuries were reported, the police said.
Following the attack, the saffron party workers protested in the area, demanding action against the culprits. According to the party, this is a kind of ‘terror attack’.
The NIA on Thursday took A.S. Ismail, a national executive committee member of PFI, into custody from Coimbatore.
While speaking to reporters, Nandkumar, a BJP worker, said, “Petrol bomb was thrown at our office. This is how terror attacks come. Today, raids (against PFI) took place at several places. It is the anniversary of the Hindu Munnani leader and the BJP National President is also in the state.”
The incident comes hours after the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the state police forces jointly carried out coordinated raids at the houses and offices of the top Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders and members across India yesterday, including Tamil Nadu.
NIA raids 93 PFI houses and offices in 15 states
Raids were conducted at 93 locations in 15 states across the country on Thursday. The states where the raids were conducted included Andhra Pradesh (4), Telangana (1), Delhi (19), Kerala (11), Karnataka (8), Tamil Nadu (3), Uttar Pradesh (1), Rajasthan (2), Hyderabad (5), Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar and Manipur.
These searches were conducted at the houses and offices of the top Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders and members in connection with 5 cases registered by the NIA following continued inputs and evidence that the PFI leaders and cadres were involved in the funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, organising training camps for providing armed training and radicalising people to join banned organisations.
A large number of criminal cases have been registered by different states over the last few years against the PFI and its leaders and members for their involvement in many violent acts.
During the searches conducted this morning, incriminating documents, cash, sharp-edged weapons, and a large number of digital devices have been seized. The NIA has made 45 arrests in these cases. When the NIA conducted the raids, they found several incriminating documents, more than 100 mobile phones and laptops.
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