Delhi Police Arrests SIMI Cadre Absconding for over 19 Years in Sedition, Unlawful Activity Cases

The Delhi Police has arrested an alleged member of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) who had absconding for over 19 years in a case of sedition and unlawful activity, a senior officer said on Sunday. The accused, 58-year-old Abdullah Danish, is a native of Mau district in Uttar Pradesh and has been living in Aligarh, he said.

The police said Danish is one of the senior most cadre of SIMI and indoctrinated many innocent Muslim youths in the last 25 Years. He was arrested from Zakir Nagar in Delhi on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said, "Arrested Danish was absconding for more than 19 years in a case of sedition and unlawful activity registered in the year 2001 at New Friends Colony police station in Delhi. He was also declared a proclaimed offender in said case in the year 2002 by the trial court." The officer said that Special Cell had information about Danish's movement in various cities of UP, Delhi and NCR in the past year. "As per information, Danish was indulging in radicalising Muslim youths to mobilise against NRC and CAA and propagating hardcore radical ideology to create disharmony among religious groups. He was falsely propagating atrocities being committed upon Muslims by Govt. of India by using fake videos," he said.

The officer said that a case was registered in 2001 against Danish when the government had banned SIMI. In a subsequent raid at its headquarters in Zakir Nagar, many SIMI activists were arrested, but Danish along with some other members managed to escape. The accused did his MA in Arabic from Aligarh Muslim University in 1985. Aligarh being the epicentre of SIMI activities, he became highly radicalised after coming in contact with SIMI activists and joined the outfit.

"Danish was also given a room in SIMI headquarters in Zakir Nagar. After escaping from Delhi, he first went to Aligarh and then to Azamgarh. Through Danish, dreaded terrorist Abdus Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer was introduced to another Terrorist Abu Bashar and he motivated them to do something drastic against the government. They later executed a series of blasts with the help of their other associates in Ahmedabad in 2008, he said.

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