8 SIMI activists killed in encounter after they escape from Bhopal jail

Bhopal, October 31

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Eight SIMI activists were killed in what police claim was an encounter on the outskirts of the city hours after they escaped from the high-security Bhopal Central Jail after killing a security guard.

Police claim activists of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) killed a security guard and escaped using some bed sheets to scale the jail’s high walls in the early hours of Monday.

Police tracked down the activists in Malikheda, surrounded and killed them, a policeman said.

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Two of the eight had attempted a similar prison break in Khandwa three years ago, DIG Bhopal Raman Singh said.

The activists were identified as Amzad, Zakir Hussain Sadiq, Mohammad Salik, Mujeeb Shaikh, Mehbood Guddu, Mohammad Kalid Ahmed, Aqeel and Majid, a police official said.

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The National Investigation Agency will take over the case. Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh Government has announced it had suspended four policemen, among them to jail’s superintendent.

However, as hours passed after the incident, contradictions began appearing in the story.

IG Yogesh Chaudhary said the fleeing SIMI activists had weapons in their possession and fired when confronted, after which police fired in retaliation — comments that appeared to contradict Home Minister Bhupendra Singh, who claimed the undertrials used spoons and plates they carried from the prison to attack the security personnel.

"Four firearms and three sharp weapons were recovered from the eight SIMI men were killed in the encounter," Chaudhary said. “We are investigating if the men had help from outside to escape.”

However, television channels showed videos purportedly from the encounter site that showed policeman pumping bullets into the motionless body of a man after an unknown person pulls out what appears to be a knife from a plastic cover and puts it back again.

Asked for his comments on the TV footage, the home minister claimed police had no choice but to shoot them.

At a brief media interaction, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the NIA would investigate the case but avoided some questions on the encounter. He said the state government would also conduct a separate investigation.

"Taking the entire incident seriously, we have taken a decision for a probe by former DGP Nandan Dubey into it," Chouhan told reporters here. “A decision will (thereafter) be taken according to the findings. For this criminal negligence, if needed we will dismiss (the official or officials)."

"Besides, I had a talk with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh because these terrorists have links not only in the state but in India and the world," Chouhan said.

Soon after the incident, the state government released the sketches of the eight activists and suspended four officials, including Jail Superintendent Akhilesh Tomar. The government also announced a bounty of Rs 5 lakh for each.

"We have taken a decision to suspend MP Prison Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Bhopal Central Jail Superintendent, Deputy Jail Superintendent and Assistant Jail Superintendent," Chouhan said.

'No fake encounter'

Police staved off criticism of having staged the encounter.

"There was heavy firing from the other side (activists) and they were killed in retaliatory fire. Three policemen received injuries from sharp weapons. Police opened 45-46 rounds of fire," IG Chaudhary told the press.

“The slain activists were dangerous criminals who were involved in the killing of two constables in Khandwa and elsewhere in 2008 and 2011. Besides, three of them were involved in an earlier jailbreak in Khandwa in 2013,” Chaudhary said.

He however refused to answer several questions saying they were still being investigated.

He also said they were investigating the video.

Replying to a question about some accounts that said the men were unarmed, he said it would be investigated, although he claimed the men had attacked police personnel and that there even been a scuffle.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the killing would boost the morale of the nation and assure them that "we are safe and secure".

"The news is going to enhance the morale of the nation that we are safe and secure as our security agencies have capacity and capability to beat any challenge," Singh told reporters here.

Opposition questions

As police prepares to investigate if the men had outside help and their possible international links, opposition parties voiced their doubts over the alleged enounter and demanded a court-monitored inquiry.

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said: "SIMI activists have escaped from the jail which is a high security prison, and within few hours they have not only been traced but killed. Now they can't be questioned, there is no evidence, their statements cannot be recorded”. "I am demanding a judicial probe because even the government must know under what circumstances they escaped."   

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh also demanded a judicial probe.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation.

This is Modi Raj. Fake encountrs, fake cases, Rohith Vemula, KGBansal, missing Najeeb, dalit atrocties, goondaism of ABVP, RSS, gau rakshks

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal)

BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao in turn accused the Congress of "supporting" terrorists belonging to SIMI the way it had done for LeT in the past.

"Congress, like they questioned the cross-LoC surgical strike, they are doing the same again for vote bank politics. They are undermining the morale of our security forces," he said. "I can’t think of why Congress wants to speak up for such individuals. Politicising the encounter is certainly not a done thing. But Congress party has done this for a long time.

"Looking at the way Congress is politicising the encounter, and that too concerning the particular group or organisation, is a matter of concern. Congress seems to raise concern only when LeT terrorists are killed and when SIMI activists who are convicted and involved in jailbreak. Congress party springing to their defence raises curiosity," he said.

This is the second major prison break by SIMI activists in three years: seven members of the outlawed group escaped from a jail in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in 2013.

The Union Home Ministry has sought a detailed report from the state government on the jailbreak to know if there were security lapses.

The government banned SIMI in 2001. — Agencies