Amidst continuous media reports of investigating agencies closing in on saffron brigade for terror acts in the country and the myth of ‘Muslim Terror’ shattering day by day, Gujarat police claimed to have caught in Ahmedabad two persons said to be associated with defunct and banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Police said (on Monday, July 12) Hashim Raza/ Hasseb Raza Saiyad and Abu Fakhir Siddiqui were ‘caught’ last night from Prem Darwaza area of the city. Crime branch officials claimed to have seized a revolver and some ammunition from their possession. PTI further reported that they were being interrogated for their presence in the city prior to the 133rd Rathyatra of Lord Jagannath on July 13.
According to the reports published in media, one of the persons identified as Hasseb Raza Saiyad, 43, of Bihar was arrested earlier too by Gujarat police in 2002 for suspected involvement in Godhra carnage, but had to be released when the police did not find evidence against him. The police arrested him on the basis of a phone call interception on February 27, 2002 when a call on his cell was received from another ‘SIMI’ member Anwar Rasheed saying ‘kaam ho gaya hai’. At that time, the phone, registered in his name was with Hasseb’s sister. Security agencies analysed the calls and later picked up both the persons to float the theory that SIMI was involved in the carnage which looked like a terror conspiracy. However, the theory could not be corroborated with evidence and the two had to be released.
“Hailing from Phulwari Sharif near Patna in Bihar, he was radical as a student and joined SIMI in 1990. He soon rose in cadre and was made general secretary of Bihar state and was arrested a number of times,” said a senior police official Himanshu Shukla, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).
At one time he was also booked for allegedly planning to bomb Howrah Bridge in Kolkata earlier, but was released for want of evidence. However, when the crime branch caught Saiyad and his bike co-rider Abu Fakhir Siddiqui, 34, from the communally-sensitive Prem Darwaza area on Sunday night, the police cited having evidence against them under Arms Act. They were said carrying an air gun worth Rs 500 and a country-made revolver worth Rs 20,000, besides 17 cartridges. They may be pushed behind bars for months and years for allegedly having un-licensed revolver and cartridges.
According to crime branch officials, teams led by inspector KK Patel and sub-inspectors JD Purohit and JM Yadav were on watch between Dariapur Darwaza and Prem Darwaza when they got a tip-off that two former members of SIMI were going to pass by. “On the basis of the tip-off, Siddiqui and Saiyad, both residents of Faridabad Society, Jantanagar, Ramol, were caught at 9 pm when they were passing by on a bike,” said Mr. Shukla, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).
He added that the two had been living in Ahmedabad for a long time and Saiyad was working in a garment store in Dariapur under an assumed name. According to the police, while Siddiqui’s background is yet to be checked, Saiyad has several distinctions to his name. “Siddiqui is a native of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. But, we have to ascertain his involvement in previous cases. On the other hand, Saiyad has assumed several top postings in Bihar cadre of SIMI in 1990s and then came to Gujarat. He was earlier arrested by West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra police for involvement in anti-social activities,” said a senior crime branch official. Saiyad was pivotal in sending youths from Jalgaon to Pakistan for training, said Gujarat Police officials. Asked if the two had plans to disrupt the Rath Yatra, cops said, “We are yet to question them on this aspect and cannot be sure about their plans.”
Saiyed’s last activities were reported from Maharashtra where he was in touch with various sleeper cells, according to agencies, and was reviving SIMI activities after it was banned. He was then untraceable and officials did not hear about him before Sunday.
The Gujarat Police report, though lacks substance, is yet to highlight the arrest. A Police Officer of DCP rank talked to the media and the ‘news’ is being flashed and detailed in electronic media as of a ‘Big Event’. It seems to be a futile effort to divert the public attention from ‘Hindutva Terror’ and focus once again on the myth of ‘Muslim Terror’.
It is worth mentioning that CBI has recently confirmed that modules of a single Hindu radical outfit were involved in the 2008 Malegaon blast and the explosions at Ajmer Dargah and Makkah Masjid in 2007. There are strong indications that the same outfit was involved in Samjhauta Express blasts. Certain RSS activists are allegedly involved in these cases. Two pracharaks (preachers) of RSS are under arrest and two other senior functionaries have been recently interrogated for their role. Swami Aseemanand, who supervised the execution of the operation in all the cases, is hiding in Dang District of Gujarat. It is also reported that Gujarat police is not co-operating in arresting him. The police is also facing loss of face for its failure in Modasa blast case investigation which has been taken over by National Investigating Agency (NIA) only last week. The BJP Government in Gujarat is also panicked as its Home Minister, Amit Shah is also under scanner for fake encounters.
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