With SIMI looking to trigger communal tension, Home Ministry to re-enforce ban

New Delhi, Jan 31: The Centre is all set to issue a fresh 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 indicated.

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 have 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.