M.K. Narayanan: SIMI and Bajrang Dal are dangerous
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    • Terming the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Bajrang Dal dangerous, the National Security Adviser (NSA) M.K. Narayanan in an interview to NDTV said there was a need to effectively deal with such organisations “because then there are many copycat organisations ... several micro units of the same kind may come up.” He claimed that “SIMI and Bajrang Dal are not two sides of the same coin, but both of them are dangerous.” He said though the actions of Bajrang Dal are militant, "the problem around Bajrang Dal is that it really does not exist as an organisation." Narayanan suggested building up evidence to control such organisations. Meanwhile, India raised the issues of Kabul Embassy bombing and ceasefire violations by Pakistan at the two-day meeting between the National Security Advisors of the two countries in New Delhi on October 13. The two NSAs also discussed ways to prevent terrorist attacks and examine ways to stop any violation of the ceasefire between the two countries. The talks are the first-ever official-level discussions between the NSAs of the two countries1.

    Elsewhere, the Supreme Court on October 13 extended till further orders the ban on the SIMI. The Union Government has come in appeal against the Delhi High Court judgment dated August 5, 2008, lifting ban on SIMI on the grounds that the evidence produced by the government was not adequate to justify it under the prevention of unlawful activities act. The government has extended the ban for another two years wide notification dated February seven, 2008. Meanwhile, according to Gujarat DCP P C Pandey, SIMI was operating under the new name of Indian Mujaheedin which has been the main suspect in recent Ahmedabad and Delhi bomb blasts2. While, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on October 14 sought to describe Bajrang Dal and VHP as fundamentalist organisations3.

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