The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) will hold agitations across the State from Friday, if the National Investigation Agency fails to release 21 leaders of the Popular Front of India (PFI) who have been detained following search conducted across the State, said SDPI Dakshina Kannada unit president Aboobacker Kulai here on Thursday.
Terming NIA search as State-sponsored action to malign PFI and SDPI, Mr. Kulai, speaking to presspersons, said that 21 PFI leaders, including five from Dakshina Kannada, have been taken into custody by the NIA for questioning.
“If these 21 persons are not released by Friday morning, we will legally hold protests across the State,” he said.
SDPI State Committee member Ataullah Jokatte said that the NIA carried out a search in the district offices of the SDPI and PFI on Nellikai Road here and nine other places in Dakshina Kannada.
The NIA sleuths came to the district offices at around 3 a.m. and searched the place before going away with 20 articles, including hard discs from two computers.
“This is not the way to search premises of a registered party. They had brought warrant to search the PFI office,” he said and added that NIA officials did not explain why the search was being carried out.
On a statement by Home Minister Araga Jnanendra that action will be taken to ban PFI and SDPI, SDPI State Council member Zalil Krishnapura said that the party will take up a legal fight against the action on SDPI and PFI activists and also on the statement made by Mr. Jnanendra and other politicians.
Protests
Meanwhile, SDPI and PFI activists staged protests in Mangaluru and Udupi against NIA action. Apart from the protests staged outside 10 places that were searched, the activists staged a protest outside the Mangaluru Central Railway Station. They blocked movement of vehicles on National Highway 66 at Surathkal and also in Kaup in Udupi.
Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharat Shetty has demanded action against protestors who blocked the movement of vehicles on the National Highway.
