Azamgarh : SIMI’s ex-president Shahid Badar Falahi arrested

New Delhi, 07 Sep 2019 [Fik/News Sources]: Dr. Shahid Badar Falahi , ex president of  Students Islamic Movement of India was arrested at 8 pm from his native village Manchobha in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

Umair Shahid , the son of Shahid Badar Falahi told  Muslim Mirror that his father has been arrested  at 8pm by Gujarat Police from his house on Thursday.

A Gujarat court had issued a warrant against Badr in 2012 in connection with a case under sections 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 143 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was detained  at Azamgarh  Police  Station  where  Gujarat Police is interrogating .

A senior Azamgarh Police officer told IANS, “A four-member team of the Gujarat Police arrived here on Thursday and arrested Badar from his home in the Karbala area.”

The Gujarat Police informed the Uttar Pradesh Police that Badar was arrested in connection with a case registered in the Kutch district of Gujarat in 2001 for delivering an “inflammatory speech”, he said.

On the delay in the arrest, he said the the Gujarat Police didn’t have his address. “After confirming his address, they arrested Badar from his house on Thursday night and brought him to us at the Kotwali Police Station,” he said.

The Gujarat Police would produce him before an Azamgarh court to seek transit remand to take him to Gujarat, the police officer said.

SIMI was formed in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, in April 1977.

The BJP government banned it in 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks.  The ban was lifted in August 2008 by a special tribunal, but was reinstated by K.G.Balakrishnan,  then  Chief Justice, on 6 August 2008 on ‘national security grounds’.

However most of its members including Dr.Shahid Badar were acquitted by courts.