Centre extends ban on SIMI under UAPA for 5 years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on Monday extended the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for another five years. The government labeled the outfit as an "unlawful association" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Union Home Minister Amit Shah shared the news via a post on X (formerly Twitter). He said the ban on the SIMI was extended to bolster PM Modi's "vision of zero tolerance against terrorism."
Read Shah's full statement here
First banned in 2001
The SIMI was first declared an outlawed organization in 2001, when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in power. Since then, the ban has been extended every five years. The outfit, founded on April 25, 1977, in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly operates with the goal of transforming India into an Islamic state. According to Shah's statement, the SIMI has been found "involved in fomenting terrorism, disturbing peace and communal harmony to threaten the sovereignty, security and integrity of Bharat."
SIMI's alleged involvement in terror attacks across India
SIMI members have been accused of involvement in various terrorist acts, including the 2017 blasts in Gaya, the 2014 bombing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, and a jailbreak in Bhopal in 2014. The organization has operated in states including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat.
