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The Uttar Pradesh Government has found definite evidence of the involvement of activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India in the recent Kanpur riots, an official spokesman told UNI on Saturday.
The preliminary inquiry into the riots, in which about 20 persons were killed, has revealed ''the dubious role of SIMI activists''. The riots had started immediately after provocative speeches by SIMI activists near Naveen market on March 16, it said.
A detailed inquiry into the episode is on, after which the government will fix definite responsibility on those who had engineered the riots, the spokesman said.
Without specifying the incidents, he said state intelligence agencies and the police had managed to stop anti-national elements trying to spread communal disharmony during Moharram at many places. The police had recovered objectionable material from several places in the state capital and other places.
The spokesman said that SIMI activists were again found wanting in these cases which were aimed at breaching the tranquility of society.
The spokesman said that the state government was documenting public speeches and statements of SIMI officer-bearers and collecting published and other material related to it.
He said the state government would send a comprehensive report to the Centre, with a request to take appropriate action in national interests.
Regarding a ban on SIMI, the spokesman said the state government could not take this step as a central legislation in this regard empowered only the central government to impose a ban.
He said since SIMI's activities were spread in other states too, the Uttar Pradesh Government would plead only its case. However, till the central government came out with a decision, the state government agencies were keeping a close watch on the activities of the organisation.
A senior home department official said that the government had also taken serious note of the recent outburst of SIMI's national president Shahid Badr Falahi at a press conference, when he had dared the government to impose a ban on the organisation.
Meanwhile, the state government had put on alert the law and order machinery in view of the coming festival of Ram Navami, which coincides with Muharram. Instructions have been issued to toughly deal with the elements conspiring to disturb peace.
UNI
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