No terror attack but MP branded Simi breeding ground

When eight Students’ Islamic Movement of India (Simi) operatives were gunned down barely eight hours after their sensational escape from high-security prison in Bhopal, it once again brought focus on Madhya Pradesh and the state’s link with the Simi. For a state that has never seen a terror strike, Madhya Pradesh strangely seems to be a breeding ground for the banned outfit as ‘Simi terrorists’ keep getting arrested here.

The encounter got mired in controversy as two top officials—IG Bhopal Yogesh Chaudhary and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Sanjeev Shami, both of whom had visited the site of the encounter, took conflicting stands. While the ATS chief said that Simi men were unarmed, IG claimed that they were armed. Opposition and activists raised questions on how security of such a prison that has housed underworld dons, extremists and top Maoist leaders, could be breached with such ease—neither the 32 ft high wall (scaled by ropes made by sheets within jail), nor the cameras (that went dysfunctional) could stop them.

Lawyers representing Simi activists claim that cases against most of these eight persons were weak--many of them would have been acquitted in as trial progressed. Usually, those suspected for links with Simi are charged with Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. But many of those described as ‘dreaded operatives’ or ‘terrorists’ have been getting acquitted by courts in different parts of the state in the past. Several other cases have ended with light sentences. For example, Bhopal-based Munir Deshmukh was the Simi general secretary in MP and after a long trial, he was acquitted in 2012.

In 2014, a court in Narsinhgarh acquitted former Simi chief Safdar Nagori and four others in a case of sedition. In another incident, Babbu, 21, was arrested along with some other youths in Khandwa. However, after his arrest police realized that he was not even a Muslim (Babbu was Christian). Another person, Azhar, from Khandwa was killed in encounter in adjoining Mahrashtra and was initially termed a dreaded Simi shooter. But later MP ATS top official accepted that he was a sweet-seller (not a shooter) and had no case against him.

Many others are charged in cases ranging from robbery to Arms Act. Incidentally, the MP police maintain that some of the escaped Simi operatives were involved in Manappuram bank robbery in Bhopal though local police had earlier ‘cracked’ the same case with the arrest of another gang of criminals.

“Even after acquittal or completion of sentence, it is difficult for them to get released. The rhetoric has reached such level that anyone whose name gets associated with Simi--irrespective of the fact whether he was even a member or not and could be facing charges ranging from putting up an inflammatory poster or giving a speech, is a terrorist even before trial”, says a senior lawyer, who doesn’t want to be quoted.

There is truth in it. Lawyers, who appeared for Simi operatives in MP in the past, have been assaulted. Lawyer Parvez Alam, who represented the Simi members, says, “There are just 3-4 lawyers in MP who take up Simi suspects’ cases because there are various factors. Even after they are acquitted, it is immensely difficult to get them out of jail due to opposition outside”, he said.

In Ujjain jail, when prisoners got annual remission of sentence for a certain period as per due process, the Simi members whose jail term was ending also got released (in 2011). However, right-wing groups raised a hue and cry. Immediately, top officials like Director General (Jail) V K Panwar and Principal Secretary Sudesh Kumar were removed from their posts for the ‘lapse’.

Some of the Simi operatives in the state have been booked for serious charges too that include killing ATS personnel Sita Ram Yadav and attack on a jailer. One of those killed in the encounter was linked to Ahmedabad blast too. But lawyers insist that most cases are not strong and flimsy evidence was used to build up cases. They claim that the arrest of Simi men always helped police divert attention from crimes and confessions were made under duress.

Not involved
“Many youths arrested in the name of Simi were not involved in terror acts. Once we planned to hold an event to raise the issue in Bhopal, we got the message that it was too risky and we should avoid taking it up, lest we may get booked or termed a Simi-sympathiser or affiliate”, said a Bhopal-based activist.

Madhya Pradesh hasn’t seen any terror strike ever. If there was a big blast case in MP, it was in Petlawad last year, where nearly 90 persons were killed--it had no Simi link. In this incident, Rajendra Kasawa was the main suspect, who was later believed to have died in the same explosion. Apart from Simi, MP-based members of some right-wing groups have been caught for engineering blasts in different parts of country--Malegaon, Hyderabad, Samjhauta Express and Ajmer blast (all outside MP).

Many of the main accused in these cases were never arrested and some got bail without fuss. Social activists and lawyers blame a section of the local media for branding arrested Muslim youths as terrorists even before trial. After the encounter, Muslim leaders led by Shahar Qazi, Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadvi etc had signed a statement along with other influential clerics, urging media to stop terming undertrial prisoners as ‘terrorists’.

In the last 10 years, in speeches after speeches, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has claimed credit for ending the Simi network in the state. Political watchers say that the Simi rhetoric is used for political benefits. After the jailbreak and encounter on Oct 31, Shivraj asked people during a public event that wasn’t it good that the ‘durdaant atankwadi’ (dreaded terrorists) were killed, many among the crowd raised their hands and replied in affirmative. It is a different matter though that when order for judicial probe was issued, the term used was ‘vicharadhin bandi’ (under-trial prisoners).
In political circles it is felt that Chouhan who had the image of a ‘soft’ politician among other rival BJP leaders in the state and was facing opposition from Sangh cadre lately, has again strengthened his position after the encounter.

[The writer is a Bhopal-based senior journalist)