Kerala state fire fighting officials were seen giving training to workers of the Islamist organization, the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Ernakulam district’s Aluva Tehsil, as per reports. The incident took place during the last week of March, and controversy erupted in the state after Kerala state BJP President K Surendran lashed out at the state government over the same
Some officials of the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services were seen giving training to Popular Front of India members and workers of its political outfit SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) at an event in Aluva’s Priyadarshini Auditorium. Reportedly, the event was organized to mark the inauguration of PFI’s ‘Rescue and Relief Team’ for which state fire fighting officials were invited.
On March 31, K Surendran took to Twitter to address the incident and shared some photos from the event. He wrote, “Kerala Fire & Rescue Service gave training to the members of the radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India. PFI and SDPI are involved in several terrorist activities. The Pinarayi Vijayan govt is giving a red carpet for these Jihadi forces.”
Kerala Fire & Rescue Service gave training to the members of the radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India. PFI and SDPI are involved in several terrorist activities. The @vijayanpinarayi govt is giving a red carpet for these Jihadi forces.@AmitShah ji. pic.twitter.com/LiKxAZQNO7
— K Surendran (@surendranbjp) March 31, 2022
As shared by Surendran in the tweet, it can be noticed that state officials in police uniforms are seen giving demonstrations to a gathering full of PFI members. After the controversy erupted, the Pinarayi Vijayan administration asked DGP Fire Force B Sandhya to submit a report on the incident. In the report to the Government, the DGP accepted that there was a major lapse from the department and promised to seek action against the officials involved.
Officials from the state fire department stated that they were invited to a cultural fest of PFI and hence gave demonstrations of rescue operations to the members present there. However, in a new circular, B Sandhya addressed that the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services department is barred from giving training to religious or political outfits hereafter. According to a report by News18 Kerala, as of today, two officials have been suspended and three have been transferred according to a state investigation report.
