Not a single bullet fired: How Centre planned mega crackdown on PFI terror links
India Today
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval kept the entire plan under cover on the directions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On September 2, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was commissioning the INS Vikrant in Kochi, his security team led by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was chalking out a plan to uproot the entire network of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Kerala, said sources in the know of the matter.
Doval held several meetings with the police officials of Kerala to act against the PFI operatives during his visit to Kochi for the aircraft carrier commissioning. From Kerala, the NSA went to Mumbai, where he lived in the Governor’s house and held meetings with security officials.
The meetings with the security agencies were conducted with the same level of confidentiality as was done before the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir or the Uri surgical strike. The operation was planned three to four months in advance in consultation with Islamic leaders. NSA Doval kept the entire plan under cover on the directions of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Amit Shah chairs meeting with top officials as NIA raids Popular Front leadersRead @ANI Story | https://t.co/S3SPcvyYXR#AmitShah #PFI #NIA pic.twitter.com/IqrUp26e6R
On D-Day, over 200 officers of the National Investigative Agency (NIA), the Enforcement Directorate and anti-terror squads of atleast ten state police launched a mega crackdown on PFI terror links. Raids were conducted at over 150 locations in more than 15 states and 106 PFI leaders and members were arrested.
Sources said aircraft were also kept ready on time to pick up PFI terror operatives and bring them to different locations for questioning.
NSA Ajit Doval was monitoring the operation 24x7 and coordinating with states. Sources said that what's important to note is that not a single bullet was fired during the entire operation. More such operations will be carried out against the terror groups based on the information received by the agencies.
