Author: Vicky Nanjappa in Bangalore
Publication: Rediff.com
Date: March 4, 2008
URL: http://inhome.rediff.com/news/2008/mar/04terror.htm
The Deendar Anjuman sect first hit the headlines
in the year 2000 when it allegedly triggered off serial blasts in Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Goa at places of worship. Since then the sect has been under
the watchful eyes of cops.
The tribunal for Prevention of Unlawful Activities
recently extended the ban on the outfit in Andhra Pradesh by another two years.
While extending the ban, the tribunal observed that the sect was indulging
in anti-social activities and had hence not withstood the scrutiny of the
tribunal.
Intelligence Bureau officials say the sect
was responsible for setting up first of the sleeper cells in Karnataka. The
agency adds that an alert has been sounded and surveillance stepped up in
the wake of the ban being extended, as they feel that the sect could cause
trouble as a retaliatory measure.
The tribunal to hear this case was constituted
by the Union Home Ministry in the year 2001, a year after the serial blasts
that rocked Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The tribunal was entrusted with
the task of going into the contentions of both sides (Police Department and
the sect) before taking a final call on whether the ban to outfit or not.
It was also decided that the ban would be
reviewed periodically depending on the activities of the sect.
Destabilising South India: The sect was formed
by Hazrat Moulana Deendar Channabasaveshwara Siddiqui in 1924 in Bellampet,
Gulbarga district of Karnataka.
The sect reportedly concentrates on creating
communal disharmony and there have been instances when statues of Dr B R Ambedkar
have been desecrated to flare up tension between caste Hindus and Dalits.
As police stepped up the vigil on this sect, it came to light that the sect
had plans of destabilising the whole of South India.
In its formative years the sect concentrated
on activities, which preached that Islam was a mixture of local cultures,
religion and traditions. This group emerged on India's terror scene after
it allegedly wrought havoc in South India -- triggered 13 blasts across 3
states.
Following the serial blasts, several arrests
were made and during the course of interrogation it came to light that money
was being pumped in from Pakistan to fund terror activities in South India.
A bank account had been opened exclusively for the purpose at a nationalised
bank in Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh.
Although several outfits have taken over this
role now, the sect continues to have links with several Pakistan-based outfits
such as the Fidayin. With help from Deendar Anjuman, Pakistan-based terror
outfits planned to set up bases in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra also. The
sect lured members of different communities stating that religion was one
and later brainwashed them.
Another startling disclosure, which emerged
during investigations, was that the sect, headed by their leader Zia-ul-Hassan
based in Mardan, Pakistan, had in 2003 planned to invade South India. An estimated
nine lakh Pathans were expected to be part of this attempt. However, the plan
was thwarted owing to stepped up vigil along the border.
Activities of this sect have taken a back
seat as of now with the Harkat-ul Jihadi Islamia gaining dominance in the
region. Although the final objective of both outfits seems to be the same,
HuJI has gone a step ahead and wants to liberate the people of Hyderabad and
restore the rule of the Nizam. For this purpose, the HuJI has been using Karnataka
as a base to set up the modules to strike at will in Hyderabad and other parts
of Andhra Pradesh.
