By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: The Indian Government has decided to ban SIMI for the fourth time since 2001. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by the Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh.
The decision to continue the ban was due to alleged links of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) with other terrorist outfits.
SIMI founded in 1977 was first banned on September 27, 2001 in the wake of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center at New York. It remained banned till September 27, 2003. Its members were arrested and court cases filed against many officers of SIMI under Terrorist And Disruptive Activities Prevention Act (TADA).
Second ban lasted till September 27, 2005 and notification for the banning it for the third time was not issued till February 8, 2006. SIMI could not function during the period when it was not officially banned because most of its members had crossed the age limit of 30 years and its bank accounts remained frozen.
The notification for the third ban on the organization on Feb 8, 2006 stated that “there is no violent incident involving SIMI since 2004.” SIMI have repeatedly contested and challenged ban on its organization in various courts.
As of yet none of the SIMI members have been convicted of any terrorism related crime.
The latest ban is for a period of two years.