Author: Editorial
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: April 1, 2008
Like poison weed, it flourishes
With the latest arrest of seven more activists
of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India from Unhel, near Ujjain,
and Indore, the real dimension of the network established by this terrorist
organisation in Madhya Pradesh has begun to emerge. Those arrested over Sunday
night and Monday morning are believed to have been providing assistance to
Safdar Nagori and 12 other top leaders of SIMI, who were picked up on March
27. It is anybody's guess as to how many more activists are out there and
in other States, lying low or plotting the next strike against the state or
innocent civilians. If initial reports are to be believed, Nagori and his
associates were planning to attack senior BJP leaders. However, it is too
early to arrive at any conclusion; we will get to know the full details of
their plans only after investigations are over. In fact, the State police
and Central agencies would be well-advised to desist from seeking media publicity
by putting out stories or making tall claims. If the purpose is to crack down
on SIMI cells and bust the organisation's underground network, then little
or nothing should be said at this stage. For, what is at stake is national
security, not the vanity of policemen and intelligence operatives who, in
any case, have a lot to answer for. It is astonishing that despite being banned
in 2001, SIMI should continue to exist in a clandestine manner, providing
logistical support to home grown terrorists, without attracting the attention
of law-enforcing agencies. It is also surprising that Nagori, who was virtually
allowed to escape the police dragnet in 2001, has been avoiding detection
for all these years. And, it is disturbing that Nagori should have found shelter
in Indore, which is not an obscure village or an up-country sub-divisional
town.
While the crackdown is a welcome initiative and those who tracked Nagori and
his fellow activists to their hideout deserve to lauded, the event also provides
an occasion to review measures that have been initiated over the past many
years to fight radical Islamism in our country. The pro-active role played
by the NDA Government has been replaced by the UPA Government's timid approach
which borders on giving a free rein to fanatics affiliated to various Islamist
organisations. Poor intelligence gathering, coupled with faulty investigation
and slip-shod prosecution, has only made the situation worse. For instance,
radical Islamists have succeeded in setting up multiple bases in Karnataka
without any let or hindrance; using these bases, they have penetrated deep
into the southern States, thus expanding the theatre of jihadi violence. To
halt this dangerous trend we need political determination and conviction at
the top -- tragically, both are lacking.
