Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday said the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was not active in the State and there was no evidence of its involvement in any unlawful activity during his regime.

Emerging from a meeting of the Samajwadi Party State executive, he told journalists that the Union Government had banned the organisation, and as far as its existence in U.P. was concerned, it would be improper to initiate action without evidence.

Mr. Yadav said the Ayodhya and Varanasi incidents were purely terrorist acts and the Special Task Force of the U.P. police had found no evidence of SIMI's involvement in them. On the suspected involvement of SIMI in the Mumbai blasts, he said it was a matter for investigation.

The Chief Minister's brother and PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav said SIMI was not a terrorist organisation. Only those organisations and outfits that were found to be involved in terrorist activities should be banned.

A Home Department spokesman also said there were no reports of SIMI activity in the State.

He feigned ignorance on reports that members of the banned organisation were regrouping, especially in Kanpur. (The possibility of SIMI members regrouping followed the recent surrender of one of its office-bearers, Mohd Amir, at Kanpur)

However, Officer on Special Duty and Special Secretary, Home, R.S. Agrawal said Mohd. Amir's surrender was related to a criminal case registered against him in 2000.

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