Deendar Anjuman banned

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 3. The Centre has banned the Deendar Anjuman which was accused of engineering bomb blasts in May-July last year in Church premises in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa, and carrying out a hate campaign against the Christian community.

The organisation was also said to be engaged in distributing objectionable anti-Christian literature and pamphlets, and in espionage activities. It was reportedly trying to reorganise itself.

Declaring it an unlawful association, the Government notification said the activities of the Deendar Anjuman ``are detrimental to peace, communal harmony, internal security and maintenance of secular fabric of Indian society.'' The declaration was notified in the Gazette of India on April 28, a Home Ministry spokesman said today.

The Deendar Anjuman was found having links with Pakistan and indulging in activities prejudicial to India's security. From a base in Mardan, Pakistan it had been organising bands of ``disgruntled Muslim youths in India into a militant outfit for launching a jehad with the avowed objective of total Islamisation of the subcontinent.''

It also planned to target the railways, telecom network, power grids, oil refineries and defence installations. It had directed its activists to attack Christian institutions with the objective of embarrassing the Government, particularly in the international community and weakening it internally.

The outfit also planned to create disturbances, particularly by promoting hatred, ill-will and suspicion among Christians and Hindus as well as other communities.

The ban was imposed under Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and the validity of the ban will have to be determined by a Tribunal. If upheld, it will be effective for a period of two years from the date of publication of the notification in the Gazette.

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