Keeping away from the controversy over Congress leader >Shakeel Ahmed’s remark that the 2002 Gujarat riots led to the creation of Indian Mujahideen (IM), the Union Home Ministry on Tuesday said its stand on the terror outfit was clear and that the IM and 34 other organisations were banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Pointing out that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) charge sheet clearly mentions the IM’s terror activities, Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh said: “What the Home Ministry thinks on the Indian Mujahideen, it is there in our website. Under UAPA, these are all banned organisations. Our position is very clear. The Home Ministry is not tweeting on these kind of things.”
The charge sheet, filed on July 17, accuses five IM operatives of hatching a conspiracy to carry out various terrorist acts across the country.
“IM was formed in 2003 after ultra radicalised Muslim youth segregated from the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) due to communal mobilisation caused by factors like the riots in Gujarat in 2002 after the Godhra train burning incident and the Babri Masjid demolition,” the NIA has said, adding: “They do not believe in India’s Constitution and IM’s members nurse communal hatred against the Hindu community.”