‘We were taught to deal with police and media’, PFI members made many revelations in the investigation

PFI: Activists of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), who were arrested by different agencies last week, have revealed that they were allegedly being trained to protect themselves from the police and the media. Officials interrogating the PFI workers told that they were being trained in different parts of the state and in small groups. The new recruits in the PFI were allegedly made to attend meetings of their influential people (religious speakers). He was trained in self-defense and was asked to attend human rights meetings to save him from police custody and arrest. Apart from this, they were also given training to answer media questions or use the media in times of crisis.

Mohammad Ahmed Baig Nadvi used to recruit

An official said- These revelations were made during the interrogation of Faizan, Rehan and Dilshad, who were arrested by the UP Special Task Force (STF) from Lucknow on September 27. Police said that different types of training modules were prepared for recruitment in PFI. The recruitment was done by a religious speaker, Mohammad Ahmad Baig Nadvi. Nadvi, who was arrested by the UP STF on September 23 from the Mediganj area, was the main recruiter in the state.

were also taught how to avoid arrest

The official said Rehan revealed that the youth were picked up by their local commanders for self-defense training and were given training in judo-karate in small groups. The self-defense training program was organized in a garden in a village in Bakshi Ka Talab area, in which Rehan also participated. He said that the members of PFI were asked to learn the provisions of rights i.e. legal knowledge so that they can avoid arrest. He said the members were also trained to answer media questions or do their part by talking to local media persons about human rights.