75 SIMI activists arrested in Maharashtra, offices sealed

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, SEPT. 28. Police have rounded up about 75 activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) following the ban on the organisation.

While 17 persons were arrested in Mumbai, including the organisation's Maharashtra unit president, Irshad Khan, seven office-bearers were held in Malegaon and four in Nagpur. Other arrests were made in Aurangabad, Pune, Nashik, Jalna and Nanded. Their offices had also been sealed, police sources said.

Maharashtra, which was used as the centre of SIMI activities, was the first to propose the ban on the organisation after the Congress-NCP led Democratic Front Government came to power.

``I am satisfied that this anti-social outfit having links with the Pakistani ISI, is banned; we were the first to propose the ban on it,'' said Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal, Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the Home portfolio.

The Shiv Sena chief, Mr. Bal Thackeray, welcomed the ban as ``better later than never'' and so did his political ally, the BJP. But the ban attracted sharp reaction from the Samajwadi Party whose state president, Mr. Abu Asim Azmi, said it was unconstitutional to impose the ban without investigation or discussion in Parliament. He threatened to hold protest demonstrations in the City today after the Friday prayers but the police sources said that no such demonstration was reported.

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