Mulayam's gesture evokes mixed reactions from SIMI

New Delhi, July 14 (UNI) Even as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav dropped charges against erstwhile chief of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) Shahid Badr Falahi, SIMI counsel Mobin Akhtar appreciated the favour on one hand and called it sheer political opportunism and needless on the other.

Claiming to be spokesperson of SIMI, Mobin Akhtar told UNI that the charges against Badr were so frivolous as couldn't have gone further at most.

He expressed confidence that even if the UP Government had not withrawn the charges, Badr would have won the case in the court at last.

Mobin didn't mince words criticising Mulayam in the same refrain.

"It is little more than sheer opportunism. The decision has been taken because the approaching assembly elections are giving him fright. We don't fail to see through the favour. Yet we can only welcome it. What else shall we do? A bad motive doesn't make a good decision bad." When his attention was drawn to the reports in a section of media about the local logistic support provided by SIMI activists for the Mumbai blasts, he said,"the former SIMI members may have joined Lashkar-e-Toiba after crossing the age of 30 years. Because once a member is older than 30 years, he ceases to be member of SIMI. So I shouldn't rule out the posibility of former SIMI men joining the terrorist organisations. I must make it clear that it is only a mathematical probability. In any case what stops the Government of the day from furnishing the evidences before the court and scotch further speculation." Hearing of the SIMI cases in the court progress at snail's pace because the Government doesn't furnish before the court the list of SIMI members, he alleged.

The investigating agencies have also reportedly found that modules of Lashkar-e-Toiba were operating in several towns of Maharashtra and a few in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The existence of SIMI and LeT modules in Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad had come to light during raids there in the past few months. A huge cache of explosives, including RDX, were seized during the raids which also helped bust some of the modules.

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