Chhota Shakeel-SIMI hand in recent riots -- Bhujbal

Chhota Shakeel-SIMI hand in recent riots -- Bhujbal
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, Mar 13: Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal today made a sensational disclosure in the Assembly saing that underworld don Chhota Shakeel in league with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was inciting communal riots in some parts of the state.

``We have reasons to believe that Chhota Shakeel was using the SIMI to create communal distrubances now that we have succeeded in halting his illegal operations. We have therefore recommended to the Centre to immediately ban SIMI in the larger interests of the country,'' Bhujbal said, replying to a brief debate on the law and order situation.

Bhujbal said sequel to the investigations by crime branch and the Pune police, the activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India were stoking communal passions and were spreading rumours about the burning ofholy Quran. ``This was a report on a website, which was incorrect. Subsequently, it was published in a Hyderabad-based daily. We found that SIMI was doing this to create unrest in the state,'' Bhujbal added.

Bhujbal's saiod besides his government, even the Intelligence Bureau had recommended to the Centre for a ban on SIMI. ``Our officials have briefed their counterparts at the Centre on the activities of SIMI,'' he said.

Claiming that the law and order was under control, Bhujbal said following the detention of a leading personality for his links with the underworld, there was a marked decline in the number of extortion cases.

Refuting the charge of corruption in the police department, particularly over transfers, the Deputy Chief Minister said there was no substance in them.

Bhujbal came down heavily on the Shiv Sena over the manner in which it launched an agitation in Marathwada for poor allocation in the Railway budget. ``If you have the courage, you must ask your central ministers to quit on the issue, but the manner chosen was not proper,'' he said.

Earlier, initiating the debate, the Leader of the Opposition Narayan Rane took strong objection to the observations of Governor P C Alexander, in his joint address on Monday, that the law and order situation was under control. ``The contention of Alexander is not acceptable, particularly when the entire state has been rocked by communal violence,'' Rane said.

Rane said contrary to the claims of Alexander, the state has witnessed a record 19 communal riots in the last 16 months.

The former Chief Minister claimed that Pakistan-sponsored terrorists were behind the riots and desecration of idols, but the government had failed to take action against Lashkar-e-Toiba, ISI and SIMI despite evidence of their involvement.

Rane asked the government to search places of worship in the state and seize hidden weapons. On the one hand, the government was harassing Sena workers for obvious reasons and on the other, it was reluctant to act against the real culprits, he charged.

BJP members Girish Bapat and Daulatrao Aher and Shiv Sena member Bala Nandgaonkar asked Bhujbal to resign on moral grounds in view of the deteriorating law and order situation.