By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Banning Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the government said it is a terrorist organization and its members are attached to terror groups but in my investigation I found that almost all cases against SIMI members were rejected by the courts and several ex-SIMI members were acquitted, says Ajit Sahi, Editor-at-Large, Tehelka weekly.
Talking to TwoCircles.net about the ban on SIMI, Sahi said the government has failed to prove the charge of terrorism against SIMI in the last eight years since it was banned.
“I investigated into the allegations against SIMI and travelled to different parts of the country with the tribunal set up by the Central Government. Reasoning the ban, the government said SIMI is a terrorist organization and its members are attached to terror groups but in my investigation I found that almost all the cases against SIMI members were rejected by the courts in 2008 and several ex-SIMI members were acquitted. SIMI was banned for the first time in September 2001. In the last eight years the government could not substantiate any case against SIMI in any part of the country which could prove that SIMI is a terrorist organization,” says Sahi. In 2008 he wrote a series of investigative articles on SIMI and its people, shattering the perception created by media and government about the SIMI.
“Since we (Tehelka) published stories on SIMI in 2008, the government and media stopped talking and writing about SIMI. And they started talking about Indian Mujahedeen. I think there should be an investigation into Indian Mujahedeen also. I havent’ yet investigated about Indian Mujahedeen. When I do it I will tell you about it,” says Sahi.
Asked if the ban on SIMI is purely a political issue, he said, yes, the ban is politically motivated and thus Muslim organizations should launch dialogues and public meetings with public opinion makers to clear the misunderstandings.
“There should be such meetings in different parts of the country. Along with Muslims, Hindus should also be invited to such meetings. Moreover, these Muslim organizations should hold such meetings at opinion building institutions also like corporate institutions, IIMs and IITs. Today average educated Hindu thinks that Muslims are becoming terrorists. There is a need to talk to such people. The families of those in jail in terror cases should be brought in public meetings. Only dialogues can remove misunderstandings about Muslims.
He supported dialogues between Hindus and Muslims, saying: “If there is a conflict between two brothers in a home, there should be dialogue. There should be dialogue between Hindus and Muslims also. If they do not do so they will be allowing the politicians to create rift between the two communities. Governments in India today are working on the British policy of ‘Divide and Rule’.