The Popular Front of India (PFI) was launched in Kerala in 2006 after merging three Muslim organizations after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. These organizations were the National Development Front of Kerala, Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Manitha Neethi Pasari of Tamil Nadu.

After the demolition of the Babri mosque, many outfits surfaced in south India and PFI was formed after merging some of them. It started as a successor to National Development Front in 2006. 

The PFI, which now claims to have units in 22 states, actively advocates Muslim reservations, personal law courts for Muslims, the cause of Dalits, Muslims and tribals, and scholarships to deprived Muslim students.

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In 2010, the PFI was accused of having links with the banned Islamic terrorist organisation Students Islamic Movement of India.

The PFI’s national chairman, Abdul Rehman, was the former national secretary of SIMI, while the organization’s state secretary, Abdul Hameed, was SIMI’s former state secretary. Most former leaders of SIMI were either identified with PFI or were holding various portfolios in the organisation.

The alleged SIMI connection was said to be baseless by the leaders of the PFI claiming that the Front was launched in 1993, whereas the SIMI ban came much later in 2001.

Retired Indian army officer P. C. Katoch claimed that the PFI maintains links with the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI.

In 2012, the Government of Kerala claimed that PFI is “nothing but a resurrection of the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India [SIMI, affiliate of the Indian Mujahideen] in another form” and imposed a ban on the “Freedom Parade” organized by PFI.

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The High Court dismissed the Government’s stand but upheld the ban imposed by the State Government.

In November 2017, Kerala Police identified 6 members of PFI who had joined the Islamic State (ISIS), possibly by moving to Syria using fake passports.

On September 22, 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out raids against state and district level leaders of Popular Front of India (PFI) and other individuals as part of a massive crackdown on terror-related activities.

In what is being called as the “largest ever investigation till date.” the anti-terror task force searched the premises of those allegedly involved in terror funding, organising training camps, and radicalising people to join terror organisations. The raids were conducted in Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and several other states.

PFI office bearer houses at several places in Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Ramnad, Dindugal, Theni and Thenkasi were raided. Searches were also conducted at the Chennai PFI State Head office at Purasawakkam.