Citing communal violence, anti-national activities, Centre bans SIMI for 5 years

New Delhi, Feb 01: The Centre has extended the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India. The ban on the outfit under the Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act will continue, the Union Home Ministry has said.

In a notification, the Home Ministry said that the Centre is of the view that if the unlawful activities of the SIMI are not curbed, it would take the opportunity to continue its subversive activities and re-organise its members who are still absconding.

It will also disrupt the secular fabric of the country by polluting the minds of the people creating communal disharmony, propagate anti-national sentiments, the ministry also said.

The notification also stated, " the central government is also of the opinion that having regard to the activities of the SIMI, it is necessary to declare the SIMI to be an unlawful association with immediate effect; Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-sections (1) and (3) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the central government hereby declares the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as an "unlawful association" and directs that this notification shall, subject to any order that may be made under section 4 of the said Act, have effect for a period of five years from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette."

As per the assessment done by the intelligence agencies, the outfit continues to pose a high threat to national security. Moreover in the recent past, the SIMI has re-surfaced especially in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

All the above mentioned states had informed the Union Home Ministry about the activities of the outfit. They have also cited the convictions of Safdar Nagori and Abu Faisal, who are top operatives of the outfit.

In Kerala, the SIMI poses a major threat. It is closely associated with the PFI and has been involved in several radical activities.

Recently the role of the SIMI was also found in the double murder case at Bharuch in Gujarat. The police learnt that the SIMI along with some members of the underworld were tasked with killing Hindu leaders in a bid to create communal tension.

An incident in Yavatmal, Maharashtra also made an attempt to kick start a wave of communal incidents. In this incident, an alleged member of the SIMI at the behest of a religious preacher had stabbed a constable protesting the beef ban in the state.

The IB has warned that such incidents could occur in smaller towns of the country and if the police are not watchful there is a danger of the same spreading across the country.

The IB also says that groups from Pakistan in association with the underworld will look to launch such attacks in order to increase the communal divide in the country.