New Delhi: The Popular Front of India’s banning under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by the Union government led to spirited editorials in English newspapers, most of which decried the organisation’s proclivity for violence and derided its alleged connections to illegal organisations.Most editorials also noted towards the end of the text that the atmosphere for such organisations to flourish was created by growing communal polarisation and that efforts were necessary to make marginalised sections feel represented.‘Profiting from the sense of insecurity among Muslims caused by Hindutva aggression’The Hindu noted that the PFI has left little doubt about its “true nature” through its “rhetoric and activities” and sought to draw focus on the flash strike called by the group in response to nationwide raids against its leaders on September 22.“The PFI continuously invokes the constitution, democratic values and rule of law, but all that cannot camouflage the violence in its action and speech as unleashed in Kerala last week…Extremely provocative slogans and speeches formed part of the protest,” the paper said.Laying out the National Investigation Agency’s charges against the PFI, the editorial also claimed that the PFI and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) “which acts as its political front” have failed to convince anyone of them being on the right side of law and democracy.The editorial describes the NIA’s charges of the groups “propagating an alternative justice delivery system justifying violence, instigating vulnerable youth to join banned terror outfits such as al-Qaeda and conspiring to establish Islamic rule in India.”The Hindu also says that moderate Muslim organisations have resisted the PFI-SDPI’s actions.Ultimately, it notes the role of Hindutva in exacerbating such proclivities.“These outfits are profiting from the sense of insecurity among Muslims caused by Hindutva aggression and allied Government measures that seem prejudiced and fuelled by majoritarian politics. The state must act against radicalism of all kinds, rather than being selective in its approach to communal hate.”Also read: PFI Ban a Worn Out Tactic by BJP to Gain Control of the Political Narrative‘What next?’The Deccan Herald, in its editorial, observed on the outset that the government is now going to be in a position where it has to validate its charges according to procedure to confirm the ban.It then observes that bans – used often to deal with organisations that persistently resort to illegalities and pose threats to peace, public order and national security – often fail to tackle these problems. Bans take organisations from public view, it says, but that does not mean that they cease to exist. Many evoke sympathies or go underground.“The RSS and the communist parties have been banned in the past but they have survived,” it notes, echoing politicians Lalu Prasad and Sitaram Yechury, who have also cited these outfits in the light of the PFI ban.Like the Hindu, Deccan Herald also notes that the PFI-SDPI operate a politics that “is rooted in the fear of a segment of the Muslim minority over the rise of the majoritarian ideology and the shrinking space for Muslims in national life.”“These fears have become aggravated with the perceived and real support of the state to the majoritarian idea, and the policies and practices that support it. The best way to deal with the threat posed by the PFI and its associates is to put an end to this divisive and exclusionary politics,” the editorial asserts.It ends with the question as to why organisations that advocate a majoritarian agenda and pose a threat to public order and the constitution, are “not treated the way the PFI and its associates are.”‘Now, all governments need to ensure vigilance’Hindustan Times, in its editorial, wrote that serious charges have been slapped on the PFI and its office bearers and expresses the faith that “proof of such alleged wrongdoing will be placed before the courts”.It says that the PFI is alleged to have committed illegal activities and direct violence, and also of encouraging radicalisation by reaching out to the marginalised.“National integrity, security, and sovereignty cannot be compromised at any cost and tough action to secure these goals welcome,” the editorial says.Then, it adds that two things should be kept in mind.“One, while PFI members were pushing an insidious agenda, hate speech and belligerence by fringe Right-wing groups have proliferated and need to be acted upon to dispel any sense of insecurity and fear,” it says, appearing to echo the above two editorials as well.The second thing, it notes, is that a ban has to be implemented on the ground by freezing assets and ensuring that ground-level workers aren’t absorbed into sibling organisations.“As previous experiences with the Indian Mujahideen and SIMI show, terrorism and radicalism are dangerous beasts that can quickly morph into newer shapes and need constant and determined vigilance,” it says.‘Mainstream politics and media must help in improving social cohesion’The Times of India’s editorial is titled, ‘PFI has been banned. But the sections that it appealed to need more effective outreach from the state’.It notes that though the PFI is accused of violent crimes, including “targeted killings of political activists, and the chopping of Prof TJ Joseph’s hand in 2010,” the SDPI has not been banned.In the last paragraph of the three-paragraph editorial, TOI notes that, “the bottom line is that religious fundamentalism has not served the cause of any religion,” citing the under-representation of Muslims in the Sachar committee report.It then says that it is the need of the hour to work “on a constructive socioeconomic agenda that can help the backward section of the community join the mainstream.”“Now that the ban has been imposed, police forces across the country have the onerous responsibility to ensure that PFI doesn’t morph into another organisation and shifts its activities further underground as happened in the past with other outfits. More importantly, mainstream politics and media must help in improving social cohesion,” it observes.