MP Police not contacted on SIMI's involvement in blasts

Bhopal, July 14 (UNI) Maharashtra police have not contacted their counterparts in Madhya Pradesh, with regard to the involvement of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), in the Mumbai serial blasts, senior police official said.

He told UNI that neither Maharashtra Police nor intelligence agencies had contacted MP Police so far. He denied that intelligence officials had come to Khandwa or any other place in the state, in search of SIMI workers.

Commenting upon the long history of SIMI activities in the state, he said its activists were involved in misguiding youths of a particular community by making seditious speeches and distributing literature.

After the Centre indirectly proscribed the outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 on September 27, 2001, 53 cases were registered and 80 activists arrested.

A complete proscription came into effect on August 26, 2003.

A central notification on February 8 directed to continue the ban.

Forty-eight cases were registered against SIMI and as many activists were arrested for involvement in illegal activities in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, Ujjain, Bhopal, Khandwa, Seoni, Jabalpur, Sheopur, Burhanpur, Guna, Neemuch and Shajapur districts despite the ban since 2001.

Around 362 activities are active in these districts at present.

Recently, SIMI's illegal activities had been found in Khandwa and six activists were arrested from Khandwa and Burhanpur, while two accused were arrested from neighbouring Maharashtra's Jalgaon district.

The officer added that Munir Ahmed Deshmukh (Bhopal), Safdar Nagauri and Syed Salauddin (both Ujjain) were active SIMI members and were absconding.

Police had sounded high alert in the state in the aftermath of Mumbai blasts and was keeping a close watch in the districts where SIMI workers were active.

UNI PKJ-PS RA HS2047