Date:07/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100759900500.htm

Karnataka - Gulbarga

Is Gulbarga becoming a haven for SIMI cadre?

Special Correspondent

Gulbarga: Reports of the Corps of Detectives (CoD) picking up three persons for questioning for their alleged links with the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) a few days ago has revived fears that Gulbarga, with a large concentration of Muslims, is slowly becoming a haven for such elements.

Besides, there were reports of police teams from New Delhi and Gujarat visiting Gulbarga district a couple of days ago to probe the alleged activities of SIMI and other organisations.

The district police did not react to reports on the CoD picking up the three persons.

However, the senior police officials admitted that a CoD team was here and that the local police officers assisted them in questioning the suspects.

Relatives of Mohd. Sulaiman, who is believed to have been picked up by the CoD, filed a complaint at the Roza police station that he had been missing since October 4.

There have also been reports of two more persons from Jilanabad and Mehbub Nagar locality going missing since October 4.

There have been no reports of any missing complaints being registered at the police stations concerned.

The senior officials, who did not wish to be named, said that 10 days ago a police team from New Delhi and Gujarat visited Gulbarga to collect details of the SIMI supporters.

There was SIMI presence in Gulbarga before it was banned. Four of its activists were arrested and literature seized. According to police records, there were around 20 SIMI activists at that time and only four were picked up.