Author: Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: September 20, 2001
The Uttar Pradesh police has slapped
non-bailable cases on the president of the Students Islamic Movement of
India (SIMI) and six others while five of its activists were arrested for
attempting to incite communal passions and mislead Muslim youth.
SIMI president Shahid Badr, former
SIMI president Anees Mohammad and five others are facing charges of attempting
to incite communal passions at the organisation's meet in Bahraich town,
about 120 km from Lucknow along the Indo-Nepal border.
Both Shahid Badr and Anees Mohammad
were alleged to have openly defended Saudi born terrorist Osama bin Laden.
SIMI had reportedly brought out some posters hailing Osama sometime last
year.
The two leaders had condemned the
United States of America for making serious accusations about the attacks
in New York and Washington against Laden 'without any reasonable evidence'.
Raising serious objections to the
Centre's offer of support to the Americans, Badr was reported to have told
the gathering in Bahraich, "The Indian government had no business to offer
support to the Americans without understanding the sentiments of millions
of Muslims living here."
The local police had earlier been
instructed to get the event recorded on video. It would be used as evidence
against the organisation whose activities have been giving sleepless nights
to the government.
The state administration felt that
SIMI was misguiding the Muslim youth by portraying that Islam was in some
kind of danger in India.
According to state principal secretary
(home) Naresh Dayal, "Cases were registered under Sections 153 (A &
B), 298 and 120B (non-bailable) against 12 SIMI activists, including its
Bahraich district chief Nusrat."
Nusrat had organised the 'city conference'
at a girls college in Bahraich on September 17, Dayal said.
SIMI's direct involvement in the
Kanpur riots earlier this year has also been officially confirmed.
SIMI leaders were stated to have
now crossed all limits in inciting communal passions.
At Bahraich, the SIMI chief also
reiterated his oft-repeated demand for arrest of prominent ruling BJP leaders,
including Union Home Minister L K Advani, Sports Minister Uma Bharati,
Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief Ashok Singhal and Bajrang Dal president Vinay
Katiyar for their involvement in the demolition of the Babri mosque in
December 1992.
Terming Advani as a 'murderer',
Badr said, "It was Advani's Rath yatra that had provoked communal riots
in which a large number of Muslims were killed."
Declaring his resolve to expand
his organisation, Badr also gave a call for recruiting 'at least 2.5 million
new volunteers on its rolls'.
"I appeal to all Muslims to entrust
at least one member of each family into the SIMI fold to serve the cause
of Islam," he said.
It was in the light of these facts
that the UP government had recommended a ban on the organisation.
