'Congress toh BJP ki naani hai (The Congress is the grandmother of the BJP). The BJP made the wrong allegation first and the Congress has now given it wings,' says SIMI's Dr Shahid Badr Falahi in an interview with Vicky Nanjappa
Conclusive evidence to link state-based SIMI activists with the Mumbai blasts is yet to be found, though a prankster was arrested on Wednesday for sending an e-mail to a newspaper office about the attacks.
Kamruddin Nagori, brother of Students Islamic Movement of India chief Safdar Nagori, has revealed that some leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad were on the hit-list of the banned outfit.
The Special Investigating Team probing the July 25 serial blasts in Bangalore picked up an activist of the Students Islamic Movement of India on Tuesday. With this arrest, the police say it is becoming clear that SIMI was behind the blasts in Bangalore and were using the name of Indian Mujahideen to conceal their identity.
A specially-designated tribunal has lifted the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India. Justice Geeta Mittal, a Delhi High Court judge who is heading the tribunal, said that the material given by the Home Ministry, justifying the ban on SIMI, was insufficient. The government maintains that SIMI still indulges in communal activities and it is a threat to the country.The organisation has been banned by the Centre for the last seven years.
With SIMI leader Vakar-ul-hasan Muzaffar Hussain in Nagpur Central Jail after his arrest at New Delhi on August 9, 2001, most of the members in the district have been inactive, sources said.
An exclusive account of SIMI chief Safdar Nagori's confession of terror plots across India.
According to crime branch officials, Nagori is an expert trainer who can influence young people with his inflammatory speeches. He may be a crucial link to other blasts in the country as well.
A petition challenging the tribunal's verdict was mentioned before the bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, which agreed with the Centre seeking a grant of interim stay. The apex court issued a notice to the SIMI and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.
Ireland have named a 14-member squad led by Gary Wilson for the two T20 Internationals against India and one of the notable names is 31-year-old Punjab born off-spinner Simranjit 'Simi' Singh.
The Union home ministry on Friday extended the ban on the Student's Islamic Movement of India for a further period of two years. The decision was taken after a thorough observation of all activities of the organisation.The Centre has received reports about SIMI's movements in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.The ban on SIMI was going to expire on February 7. The government is extending the ban on SIMI for the fifth time.
War of words continued between Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Uma Shankar Gupta and Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh over the role of the previous government in encouraging activities of Students Islamic Movement of India in the state, when he was the chief minister.
To reduce their reliance of foreign transactions, terror outfits are now using charity organisations and NGOs. The money is collected legitimately but distributed illicitly, reports Vicky Nanjappa
Terming the allegations as baseless, Hasan said the government was committed to dealing strictly with terrorism, which was an international problem.
Noman Badar alias Falahi, 30, was chief editor of an Urdu magazine published by SIMI and an authorised signatory to operate the outfits bank accounts.
The Uttar Pradesh police has alerted their counterparts in Uttarakhand about the possible presence of suspected terrorists associated with the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India in that state.
The Central intelligence has sent a warning note to the Kerala police on the possible regrouping of the banned Islamic organisation, Students Islamic Movement of India.
Embarrassed by the lifting of ban on SIMI by a special tribunal for lack of evidence, the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday said it would challenge the order in the Supreme Court if necessary.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to lift the ban imposed on the Students Islamic Movement of India since 2001.
Two former activists of the banned SIMI have been picked up by police near Aluva in Kerala for questioning late Monday night.
Yahya Khan, who was picked up by the Bangalore police recently, is said to be the head of the banned SIMI in Karnataka. Sources say the arrest points at the renewed efforts by the banned outfit to spread terror in the state.
The state government had appointed a single member judicial commission to probe the sensational jailbreak and the subsequent alleged encounter killings. The Judicial Commission of Inquiry was headed by retired high court judge S K Pandey.
Serious lack of funds to carry out its operation has forced the Students Islamic Movement of India and the Indian Mujahideen to adopt a method that was earlier forbidden. Vicky Nanjappa/Rediff.com reports
On February 4, the Government of India is expected to re-impose the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India. And the SIMI has made it clear that it will not fight the ban before the tribunal.
The international pop icon is set to appear on Simi's talk show India's Most Desirable this Sunday.
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Police said they have recovered objectionable literature and letters from their possession, which indicate they were involved in the activities of SIMI and were in contact with the arrested leaders. Police also found evidence from them relating to a meeting conducted by SIMI activists based in Delhi in Jabalpur sometime back with an intention to help their associates lodged in Jabalpur jail for carrying out the activities of the banned organisation, he said.
The common link between serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad have started to get closer with the Gujarat police picking up a key person identified as Sajid Ghulam Khwaja Mansuri, an activist of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India.
According to the IB, SIMI has recruited nearly 25,000 members across the country, of which 6,000 were recruited through the new agency which has come in handy since the crackdown by security agencies and their constant monitoring had made things difficult for the SIMI cadres.
Police opened fire when the accused tried to escape after attacking escorts while being brought to Hyderabad for a court hearing.
During interrogation, all the three confessed to have been working to strengthen the organisation at the behest of top SIMI leaders. More arrests were possible in the coming days in the wake of revelations made by the arrested activists.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Monday questioned Abdul Halim, an activist of the Students Islamic Movement of India, who was arrested in connection with the serial blasts, as it launched a massive operation to track down those involved.Halim was allegedly involved in recruiting people for Jehadi activities, the police said.The police also conducted raids in different parts of the city last night and detained many people for questioning.
As investigations progress into Wednesday's serial blasts in Mumbai, the police have started examining the role played by fringe elements of both the Indian Mujahideen as well as the Students Islamic Movement of India.
Though Madhya Pradesh police are tight-lipped in this regard, all the indications are directed towards SIMI activists Abu Faisal, who was arrested from a hotel in the Gwaltoli area of the city in 2006 while attending a meeting of the banned organisation. He was release later on bail.
Even as SIMI wages a legal battle in the Supreme Court seeking to lift the ban imposed on it by the central government, the Madhya Pradesh police, a couple of days ago, arrested the outfit's former president Sainudeen Sainulabudeen.
Released Palestinian prisoner Lamees Abu Arkoob kisses her mother outside her home near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
After a massive manhunt, the National Investigation Agency on Wednesday nabbed the elusive Students Islamic Movement of India operative Haider, who allegedly played a key role in the Patna blasts targeting Prime Minister elect Narendra Modi's rally last October.
Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav also appeared to take a soft stand on the outfit, saying it had not been found to be involved in the Varanasi blasts and the terrorist attack in Ayodhya.
A special tribunal has issued notices to the Students Islamic Movement of India, its chief Safdar Nagori and two other functionaries of the banned outfit, asking them to explain why the organisation and its activities should not be declared 'unlawful'. A single-member tribunal headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna of the Delhi high court has asked SIMI, its president Safdar Nagori, finance secretary Imran Ansari and president of the outfit's Madhya Pradesh zone.
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