The trio is charged with allegedly trying to crate communal strife by putting up posters in and around Pune claiming that the hand of Hinduvata was behind bomb blasts in the country. Qureshi, 38, and Pathan, 33, were produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class of Pune Cantonment Court, which sent them to police custody till Friday. When the two were again produced at the end of their three days of confinement on Friday, the magistrate on police demand sent them to further detention till Aug. 17.

The police told the magistrate that Qureshi, Pathan and Bagwan had put up posters on Aug. 9, which they alleged were aimed at creating communal tension during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and a few days ahead of the popular Hindu festival Ganesh Chaturthi. The police further stated in their remand report that the accused and other activists of the PFI had put up the posters in the Muslim-dominated suburb of Kondhwa and other areas in the city.

According to police sources, the movement of alleged PFI members in Pune had been under surveillance after some members of the outfit were arrested in Kerala on charges of chopping of the hand of a college professor T.J. Joseph in July for allegedly hurting Muslim sentiments.

The posters, found by a night patrol team of Kondhwa police station, were pasted on the front gates of Kauserbaugh Housing Society in Kondhwa. The police slapped charges against the accused under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between two communities on grounds of religion and under the Public Property Defacement Act. The police also seized a laptop from Qureshi and 28 posters in Kondhwa, while several other posters were seized from different areas of the city.

Meanwhile the PFI national general secretary O.M.A. Salam defended the poster campaign and justifying it, said that the poster campaign was launched to highlight that Hindu groups are the real terrorists. The PFI chose the historic date of Aug. 9 for the drive, which, he said, coincided with the date when the Quit India movement began. "We want this day to be known as Save India Day," Salam added.

In another development, the officials of the Foreigners Branch of the Pune police deported five South Korean nationals after they were allegedly found propagating Christianity in the suburb of Pimpri-Chinchwad area on Wednesday. They were charged with causing law and order situation by carrying out door-to-door propaganda of Christianity religion, which had led to a tussle between the Koreans and some Hindus, who objected to the Koreans preaching Christianity.

On objections raised by the Hindu community, and a minor quarrel between the two groups, the police asked the Koreans to leave as they came to India on student and tourist visas, and stating that the activities of the Koreans were violations of the visa rule. The Koreans were to leave Pune on Friday, via Mumbai, but missed the fight. They would leave in a day or two on the next available flight said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) Makrand Ranade.