The Centre on Monday (February 5) bestowed powers to all states and Union Territories to declare the terrorist group Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) a banned organisation under the stringent anti-terror legislation UAPA. The central authorities had on January 29 prolonged the ban on the SIMI for 5 extra years.
What had the federal government stated?
While extending the ban on the terrorist organisation, the federal government had stated the group has been concerned in fomenting terrorism and disturbing peace and communal concord within the nation.
In a notification on Monday, the Union Home Ministry stated in train of the powers conferred by Section 42 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central authorities directs that each one powers exercisable by it under part 7 and part 8 of the stated Act shall even be exercised by the state governments and the Union Territory administrations in relation to the illegal affiliation SIMI.
As many as 10 state governments — Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh — have beneficial for declaration of SIMI as an “unlawful association” under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
What is SIMI?
The SIMI was first declared outlawed in 2001 when the Atal Bihar Vajpayee authorities was in energy and since then the ban has been prolonged periodically.
The SIMI has been persevering with its subversive actions and re-organising its activists who’re nonetheless absconding, the house ministry stated in its notification.
It is disrupting the secular material of the nation by polluting the minds of the individuals by creating communal, disharmony, propagating anti-national sentiments and escalating secessionism by supporting militancy and endeavor actions that are prejudicial to the integrity and safety of the nation, it added.
(With PTI inputs)
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