Ghost of SIMI resurfaces in UP political circles

Lucknow, July 14 (UNI) Just when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was denying SIMI's role in the Mumbai serial blasts, a Mumbai police team was in the state, tracking down activists of the underground Students Islamic Movement of India.

''It is too early to name SIMI as responsible for the Mumbai bomb blasts as investigation is still on and anything could be said only after the probe was completed,'' Mr Yadav said here.

Mr Yadav has also gone on record saying ''SIMI is not a terrorist organsition.'' Similar sentiments were expressed by his brother and Samajwadi Party General Secretary Shiv Pal Singh Yadav who said the name of SIMI was used by the previous state governemnts to fix their political opponents.

''It was not correct to term all SIMI members as terrorists,'' he said, adding SIMI's role in Mumbai bomb blasts was being investigated and there were no strong evidences against it.

The Uttar Pradesh government was categorical in its statement that there was no need to carry out raids against SIMI in the state as ''the organisation was not active.'' A home department spokesperson said even if the Centre had directed the state governments to carry out raids against underground SIMI activists, UP could not do much ''as there is no activity of the organisation in the state.'' The Opposition BJP and Congress has taken serious note of the statements of the chief minister and state government officials on SIMI.

The Congress had invoked the Right to Information Act (RTI) to seek correspondence between UP and the Centre on SIMI, it has specifically asked for the letter which Mr Yadav had written to the Union Home Ministry requesting it to remove the ban on SIMI.

When SIMI was banned in 2001, UP had opposed the ban notice of the Centre sent to the state government on May 22 arguing that the organisation was not involved in ''any activities'' and neither had it (UP) received any complaint against SIMI.

SIMI, prime suspect in serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, is under security scanner of Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal and several other states.

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