NEW DELHI: Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is one of the 34 banned outfits in the country but around 50 of its fronts, which work as cover for the terrorist group, are carrying out their business as usual. Although the government has identified four of these fronts which are working at an all-India level for SIMI, the home ministry has failed to put them in the list of banned organisations.

The four fronts are Tahreek-e-Ehyaa-e-Ummat (TEU), Tehreek-Talaba-e-Arabia (TTA), Tehrik Tahaffuz-e-Sha’aire Islam (TTSI) and Wahadat-e-Islami. None of these fronts, however, finds place in the official list of banned outfits carrying 34 names — updation of which was last made by the home ministry in May. But these are not the only four outfits which have been working for SIMI in the country.

There are as many as 46 other organisations in eight states which “are being used for carrying out its (SIMI) activities including collection of funds, circulation of literature and regrouping of cadres”. Twenty-three out of these 46 outfits are active in Kerala followed by eight in Maharashtra, seven in West Bengal, three in Bihar, two in Uttar Pradesh and one each in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Delhi.

Though some of them are put under the list of banned outfits by the respective states, most of these organisations have been working without any restrictions. “State police and intelligence agencies have, however, been keeping close tabs on these outfits. But one has to have concrete evidence to ban them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967”, said a senior home ministry official. The identity of these outfits were disclosed by the home ministry in its background note submitted before the Special Tribunal headed by Delhi High Court judge Gita Mittal who did not uphold the notification of the goverment extending the ban on SIMI on Tuesday.

These details were also submitted to the Supreme Court the next day when the home ministry successfully challenged the tribunal’s order and got a stay. The background note has also given details of different activities of SIMI — fund raising, instigating Muslims for riots and circulation of provocative CDs/cassettes. It mentioned how the outfit’s activists have been travelling far and wide to collect funds besides getting huge funds from well-wishers in Arab countries. The ban has, however, not deterred its members to stop recruiting and strengthening its cadre. Currently, a number of educated persons including technocrats, chartered accountants and doctors are associated with the activities of SIMI clandestinely.