SIMI offices raided across State, bank account frozen

Police raided the offices of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) across the state and seized documents and literature kept there. The authorities have also sealed its offices and frozen its bank accounts. However, no arrests were made till Friday evening.

Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya reviewed the action taken at a high-level meeting in Gandhinagar on Friday. He said SIMI offices in Ahmedabad, Modasa, Bharuch, Vadora, Junagadh, Surat, and the Kutch district had been raided.

Panda said intelligence was being gathered on its members, and warned the public against associating with or helping them in anyway. "The government will charge them under the Prevention of Illegal Activities Act, or if necessary under the National Security Act," he said.

The meeting was attended by chief secretary G. Subbarao, director-general of police K Chakravarty, additional director-general (intelligence) G.C. Raigar, and Ahmedabad police commissioner PC. Pandey.

In Ahmedabad, police had been deployed since ‘Thursday midnight at SIMI’s main office at Noor Mahal in Shahpur. On Friday, the office was searched and some documents and other material found inside was taken away.

"We have seized some documents indicating the whereabouts of its activists," said assistant commissioner J.L. Jadeja, who supervised the raid on NoorMahal. ‘About the rest of the material, only after examination will we be able to comment." About SIMI bank accounts, deputy commissioner G.S. Malik said, "They have an account with the Jammu & Kashmir Bank on C.G. Road. We have freezed it, but there was only Rs 20,000 there. However, we are tracing all transactions."

Sources said the intelligence branch had submitted a report on last month’s communal riots in sonic walled-city areas of Ahmedabad. However, intelligence in-charge Raigar refused to comment on the report, saying it was "strictly confidential". Pandya said police would undertake intensive combing in five districts where SIMI Was active to run their activists to earth.

Though the decision to ban SIMI was conveyed to the state government machinery last afternoon, but delays in the decision-making process on part of the top Home Department officials helped the activists to make their way be-fore police guards were put up before their office since Thursday mid-night.

Republished from The Indian Express