SIMI man held, many still at large

ANOTHER activist of the Students Islamic Movement of India was arrested in Indore on Friday. Abrar?s arrest by the Chhoti Gwaltoli police followed that of SIMI activist Abdul Razzak (24) on Wednesday. The Indore police pounced on Razzak at a hotel in the Nayapura area while he was attending a meeting where the outfit?s former State president Imran Ansari was present.

ANOTHER activist of the Students Islamic Movement of India was arrested in Indore on Friday. Abrar’s arrest by the Chhoti Gwaltoli police followed that of SIMI activist Abdul Razzak (24) on Wednesday. The Indore police pounced on Razzak at a hotel in the Nayapura area while he was attending a meeting where the outfit’s former State president Imran Ansari was present.

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The police raided pockets of the city known for SIMI activities in a bid to nab other activists of the outfit. Still 14 other active members or sympathisers of the outfit, who had been arrested in 2001, are absconding.

A list of these activists prepared by the Indore police included Abdul Razzak and Gulrez Mohammed Mustafa, a resident of Nagda Compound, who was present at the hotel on Wednesday but gave the police the slip. A copy of the list is with the Hindustan Times.

Most of the SIMI activists had been arrested between September 27 and October 18, 2001 and booked under sections of the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act 1967. They were held after the Centre banned the SIMI in 2001. The outfit had come out in the open to protest the ban. Many of them jumped bail and the police were hunting for them for the past five years.

Asked about these activists, SP Anshuman Yadav said, “We are keeping a watch on their activities. They have not done anything objectionable and if they do we will nab them.”
punya.mitra@hindustantimes.com