04-01-2008, 01:54 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Undeterred SIMI </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Like poison weed, it flourishes
With the latest arrest of seven more activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India from Unhel, near Ujjain, and Indore, the real dimension of the network established by this terrorist organisation in Madhya Pradesh has begun to emerge. Those arrested over Sunday night and Monday morning are believed to have been providing assistance to Safdar Nagori and 12 other top leaders of SIMI, who were picked up on March 27. It is anybody's guess as to how many more activists are out there and in other States, lying low or plotting the next strike against the state or innocent civilians. If initial reports are to be believed, Nagori and his associates were planning to attack senior BJP leaders. However, it is too early to arrive at any conclusion; we will get to know the full details of their plans only after investigations are over. In fact, the State police and Central agencies would be well-advised to desist from seeking media publicity by putting out stories or making tall claims. If the purpose is to crack down on SIMI cells and bust the organisation's underground network, then little or nothing should be said at this stage. For, what is at stake is national security, not the vanity of policemen and intelligence operatives who, in any case, have a lot to answer for. It is astonishing that despite being banned in 2001, SIMI should continue to exist in a clandestine manner, providing logistical support to home grown terrorists, without attracting the attention of law-enforcing agencies. It is also surprising that Nagori, who was virtually allowed to escape the police dragnet in 2001, has been avoiding detection for all these years. And, it is disturbing that Nagori should have found shelter in Indore, which is not an obscure village or an up-country sub-divisional town.
While the crackdown is a welcome initiative and those who tracked Nagori and his fellow activists to their hideout deserve to lauded, the event also provides an occasion to review measures that have been initiated over the past many years to fight radical Islamism in our country. The pro-active role played by the NDA Government has been replaced by the UPA Government's timid approach which borders on giving a free rein to fanatics affiliated to various Islamist organisations. Poor intelligence gathering, coupled with faulty investigation and slip-shod prosecution, has only made the situation worse. For instance, radical Islamists have succeeded in setting up multiple bases in Karnataka without any let or hindrance; using these bases, they have penetrated deep into the southern States, thus expanding the theatre of jihadi violence. To halt this dangerous trend we need political determination and conviction at the top -- tragically, both are lacking.
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The Pioneer Edit Desk
Like poison weed, it flourishes
With the latest arrest of seven more activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India from Unhel, near Ujjain, and Indore, the real dimension of the network established by this terrorist organisation in Madhya Pradesh has begun to emerge. Those arrested over Sunday night and Monday morning are believed to have been providing assistance to Safdar Nagori and 12 other top leaders of SIMI, who were picked up on March 27. It is anybody's guess as to how many more activists are out there and in other States, lying low or plotting the next strike against the state or innocent civilians. If initial reports are to be believed, Nagori and his associates were planning to attack senior BJP leaders. However, it is too early to arrive at any conclusion; we will get to know the full details of their plans only after investigations are over. In fact, the State police and Central agencies would be well-advised to desist from seeking media publicity by putting out stories or making tall claims. If the purpose is to crack down on SIMI cells and bust the organisation's underground network, then little or nothing should be said at this stage. For, what is at stake is national security, not the vanity of policemen and intelligence operatives who, in any case, have a lot to answer for. It is astonishing that despite being banned in 2001, SIMI should continue to exist in a clandestine manner, providing logistical support to home grown terrorists, without attracting the attention of law-enforcing agencies. It is also surprising that Nagori, who was virtually allowed to escape the police dragnet in 2001, has been avoiding detection for all these years. And, it is disturbing that Nagori should have found shelter in Indore, which is not an obscure village or an up-country sub-divisional town.
While the crackdown is a welcome initiative and those who tracked Nagori and his fellow activists to their hideout deserve to lauded, the event also provides an occasion to review measures that have been initiated over the past many years to fight radical Islamism in our country. The pro-active role played by the NDA Government has been replaced by the UPA Government's timid approach which borders on giving a free rein to fanatics affiliated to various Islamist organisations. Poor intelligence gathering, coupled with faulty investigation and slip-shod prosecution, has only made the situation worse. For instance, radical Islamists have succeeded in setting up multiple bases in Karnataka without any let or hindrance; using these bases, they have penetrated deep into the southern States, thus expanding the theatre of jihadi violence. To halt this dangerous trend we need political determination and conviction at the top -- tragically, both are lacking.
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