The investigation about the activities of these groups was yet to complete when the state received yet another shock. A blast took place on a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train injuring 10 persons. However it is yet to be confirmed that it was a handiwork of the Islamic State but it sends a message that the terrorist groups find Madhya Pradesh a convenient place from where they can continue their activities.

The blast in Bhopal-Ujjain Passenger train has emerged as a big challenge for the state police. It is being described as the first terror attack in the state and is being linked with the incident of SIMI under-trials escaping from Bhopal central jail and later getting killed in an ‘encounter’.

 According to sources in the police, the case is being probed from all angles, including the possibility of the involvement of SIMI in it. Home minister Bhupendra Singh Thakur, while talking to the media said Ujjain had been the hub of SIMI activities and the possibility of SIMI’s involvement in the blast could not be ruled out.

The police were apprehensive that after the encounter, SIMI might go for revenge. The intelligence wing of the police was getting inputs that SIMI might strike after SIMI activist Safdar Nagori and 11 others were convicted by an Indore court.

The ATS is trying to find out from where the explosives used in the IED were procured and also whether explosives were being stockpiled in the state for mounting a major attack. The police are questioning suspects. Some persons have already been arrested from Piparia in Hoshangabad district and raids are underway at other places in the state. The police have also activated their informer network.

Madhya Pradesh, known as an island of peace, is fast becoming the centre of activities of terrorist organisations. The investigative agencies are yet to find out the persons who helped the SIMI under trials escape from jail. Many persons have been arrested from different parts of the state for allegedly being part of an ISI spy ring. The blast has only confirmed that the terrorists are spreading their network in MP.

Further, two important developments have again confirmed the impression that Madhya Pradesh has been a favoured place for extremist activity. One such development relates to the conviction of Devendra Gupta, Bhavesh Patel and Sunil Joshi in the 2007 Ajmer blast case. Among the convicted person Sunil Joshi belonged to Madhya Pradesh. He was murdered in highly mysterious circumstances. It was claimed that the conspiracy of Ajmer blast case and also of Samjhauta Express was hatched in Madhya Pradesh.

On October 11, 2007, a powerful bomb went off on the congested premises of the Ajmer Dargah during iftar at around 6.14 pm, killing three people and injuring 15 others.

The case was initially investigated by the anti-terror squad of Rajasthan, which found that a group of people linked with a radical Hindu outfit allegedly carried out the blasts at Ajmer Dargah and Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007.

The attacks were supposed to be in retaliation against the attacks on the Amarnath yatra in 2002, Akshardham Temple in Gujarat and Raghunath Temple in Jammu.

The Rajasthan ATS claimed that the explosives used and the modus operandi in the blasts in Ajmer and Hyderabad were similar. Police recovered an unattended bag at the site in Ajmer, which had an unexploded bomb and two SIM cards, which gave them vital clues.

"The court has found that Devendra Gupta, Bhavesh Patel and Sunil Joshi, conspired to carry out attacks at Ajmer Dargah. The court also found that it was Bhavesh Patel who planted the two bombs," public prosecutor Ashwini Kumar said.

Another important judgement related to Madhya Pradesh was announced in Indore sentencing 11 SIMI activists for life. Those convicted include Safdar Nagori and his brother Kamruddin Nagori. Both Nagori brothers hail from Ujjain, a holy town Madhya Pradesh

Special CBI judge BK Paloda convicted all 11 for sedition, collecting arms, ammunition and explosives with the intention to wage war against the nation and for being active members of a banned terrorist outfit. Nagori was the general secretary of SIMI when it was banned.

"The judgement was delivered to 10 of the 11 accused through video-conferencing, as they are lodged in Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad and are being tried there for the Ahmedabad bomb blasts," public prosecutor Vimal Mishra said. Only one of the accused – dental student from Karnataka, Munroz – was in the Indore court with his father and started weeping after hearing the verdict.

Those convicted include Safdar Nagori, his brother Kamruddin Nagori, SIMI's Karnataka unit chief Hafiz Hussain, Kerala-based SIMI leader Shivli, his brother Shaduli, Ujjain-based Amil Parvez, Karnataka doctor Ahmed Baig and Munroz, Kerala-based Ansar and Khandwa-based operative Kamran.

Safdar Nagori, a native of Ujjain, is a former general secretary of SIMI and is accused in many other terror cases. In July 2014, he was acquitted in a case of provoking communal tension in Madhya Pradesh.

The CBI court observed that the actions of the SIMI members proved they had no faith in the government of India and they were indulging in activities which are not only against the unity and sovereignty of India, but also harmful to all humankind. "Although the accused are citizens of India, but in this situation, their conviction and punishment is unfortunate and sad" Judge Paloda said in the order.

MP anti-terror squad had arrested all 11 of them and two other SIMI operatives – Khalid Akhtar and Shami – in March 2008 from a flat above Fafur Khan's bakery in Indore's Sanyogitaganj area. During interrogation, the accused admitted to running a training camp near Choral, some 40km from Indore, where explosives and SIMI literature were seized. Khalid and Shami were convicted separately in 2012. Khalid was gunned down after the Bhopal jailbreak on the day after Diwali last year.

Ujjain where train blast took place, which nurtured SIMI outfit Nagori also, hit the headlines when a Hindu fanatic RSS functionary Kundan Chandravat announced Rs. one crore bounty for beheading Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

It is worthwhile to find out why Ujjain and its surrounding areas provide fertile land both to the Hindu and Muslim extremists.
 

The post What makes Ujjain a fertile breeding ground for both Hindu and Muslim extremists appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: Asian Age
 
The embarrassment must have been even more acute because this spy ring was being allegedly run by some persons who had connections with outfits closely connected to the RSS. Further, this spy ring was busted on the very day (February 10) when Dr. Bhagwat lashed out at ISIS at a programme in a town in MP. To quote, Dr. Bhagwat said that ISIS is a threat to humanity; They are killing innocents and there seems to be no solution to the crisis.
 
In a major breakthrough MP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) busted an international call racket used by ISI agents to spy on India's military operations. The spy ring facilitated calls from and to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, bypassing legal channels.
 
At least 40 'Simboxes' (Chinese-made gadget that holds multiple SIM cards) and 3,000 SIM cards have been seized from eleven suspects, including a brother of a leader of the BJP. They were arrested from Bhopal, Gwalior and Satna. They have all been booked on charges of waging a war against the country. Officials expect more arrests soon.
 
The suspects were involved in espionage, money laundering and fraud, says the MP police. MPATS chief Sanjeev Shami, who led the operation, said that more people including those working with telecom majors are on the radar and would be soon put behind bars.
 
Besides the crime of spying against the country, the racket has also led to massive loss to the telecom department. "They were running a parallel telecom exchange, enabling cross-border handlers posing as senior Army officers to call up military personnel posted in Jammu and Kashmir and dig out details of operations, deployment and installations," said Shami.
 
The MPATS team was working 24×7 in coordination with central agencies for the last two months. While three people were arrested from Bhopal, five were arrested from Gwalior, two from Jabalpur and one from Satna district.
 
MPATS officials have seized several pieces of Chinese equipment, including mobile phones, laptops and data cards. Calls made via internet were sent to these SIM-boxes which redirected the illegal VoIP traffic onto mobile networks.
 
Immediately after the arrest State Congress also claimed that one of the 11 arrested for espionage racket in Madhya Pradesh is also the close relative of a BJP corporator from Gwalior.
 
Speaking to reporters, state Congress president Arun Yadav said, "One of those arrested from Gwalior, Jitendra Singh Yadav is the brother-in-law of BJP corporator from ward number 58 of Gwalior, Vandana Satish Yadav."
 
The Congress leader alleged the family of Vandana Satish Yadav is closely associated with Union minister for rural development Narendra Singh Tomar and state minister for urban administration Maya Singh. "The ATS should investigate this angle of the closeness of accused Jitendra Singh Yadav's family with top BJP leaders and the role they played in the ruling party," PCC chief said. 
 
Later some more names having connection with the Sangh Parivar came to the light one such name was that of Ashish Singh. The moment Ashish Singh's name became public it triggered a Twitter war between Congress and BJP.
 
While senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayavargiya praised the state police for busting the racket, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh sparked controversy by stating "none of the ISI suspects was a Muslim". "I congratulate chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Madhya Pradesh Police for this special achievement against terrorism and its perpetrators in any form must be crushed," tweeted Vijayavargiya.
 
Digvijaya took a dig at Prime Minister Modi and his supporters by tweeting, "ISI agents arrested in Bhopal do not have a single Muslim. One of the suspects is a BJP member. Modi's supporters must think of it."
 
Congress leaders then released some pictures, alleging that one of the suspects, named Dhruv Saxena, was district convener of the IT cell of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). Some pictures showed Saxena at BJP programmes accompanying top BJP leaders, including the CM, Vijayavargiya and Bhopal BJYM president Anshul Tiwari.
 
BJP countered that anybody can take a selfie with top leaders and can join the party’s membership drive. State BJP chief Nand Kumar Chauhan said, "I don't know Dhruv and neither is he a member of the party. I congratulate ATS for the arrests. Digvijaya Singh's tweet is aimed to vitiate communal harmony in the state."
 
"A picture cannot corroborate connivance of any leader with a criminal or anti-social element. People take photos with top leaders and sometimes join public and party functions to take advantage. But this does not indicate any association," said Anshul Tiwari.
 
Home minister Bhupendra Singh eulogised Shivraj Singh Chouhan for "his efficient leadership leading to breaking the network of ISI in the world".
 
"The most powerful action against terrorism in India is being taken in Madhya Pradesh. First, police killed SIMI terrorists after a jailbreak and now the law enforcing agency unearthed the ISI network," he told reporters in Sagar.
 
Facing flak over allegations that Dhruv Saxena, one of the suspects arrested in the ISI spy ring bust is a BJP member and office bearer of the party IT cell, BJP went to great pains to distance itself from him.
 
BJP state Chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan has denied the charge that spy racket has exposed Bhagwa Atankvad (saffron terrorism).
 
"We have nothing to do with Dhruv Saxena. Absolutely nothing, he was not a member of BJYM. One can take a photo with anybody, a leader or a minister. There is no method to find out who is standing beside me now, for instance," Chauhan said, when asked about the pictures of Dhruv with senior party leaders circulating on social media.
 
On the statement given by Dhruv's mother Rajni Saxena that her son was working for BJP, Chauhan said, "Her statement is not true; there was no connection, not at all."
 
The BJP state unit issued a new list of its Yuva Morcha and state IT cell office-bearers claiming the party has nothing to do with those arrested in the ISI spy ring case.
 
BJYM district head Anshul Tiwari has released a list of district office-bearers where Dhruv's name is not included. Asked about allegations of intelligence failure by police and ATS, Chauhan said ATS has done a "remarkable job".
 
Supporting Nandkumar's statement, BJYM state head Akhilesh Pandey also claimed that morcha had released a statement denying any involvement with Dhruv Saxena. "Rajesh and Anshul Bhadoria is IT cell in charge and they have denied that Dhruv was a member of the cell," clarified Pandey.
 
The government is trying to find out how come Dhruv Saxena managed to get a picture clicked with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. It is alleged that besides, Dhruv, two more suspects Jitendra Thakur and Mohit Agrawal have BJP connections in Gwalior and Bhopal.
 

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