Bhopal: Following the escape plan of eight SIMI activists from Bhopal Central prison, the intelligence wing suspected that there might be a bigger hand of the terrorist group which wanted to give a massive blow to India following the surgical attacks carried out by the Army against Pakistan recently.
Meanwhile, a video purportedly taken when a policeman belonging to Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) shot down one of the SIMI activists who was taking shelter at a hill after they escaped from the jail. Following a tip-off from the villagers, the forces spotted the terrorists at a hill, 8 kms away from the Bhopal jail. The terrorists, who escaped the jail after slitting the throat of security guard Ramshanker Yadav, traveled 15 kms on foot. However, the police are clueless as to how they secured armed guns after the escape.
The ATS police warned the eight terrorists, who took shelter in the hill, to surrender. Only after the terrorists refused, the ATS police attacked them and killed them in subsequent exchange of fire. SIMI men were identified as Mujib Shekh, Majid, Aqueel, Khalid, Jakir, Mehboob Shekh, Amjad and Md Shalik.
Even more baffling is their attire. All the eight of them, who escaped the prison, were in their prison uniform. However, their encounter photographs released by the police show the terrorists were clad in jeans and T-shirts when they were shot dead.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hailed the ATS police for gunning down the terrorists just few hours after the escape. He also thanked the villagers for providing information of the SIMI prisoners.
The Chief Minister also sought an inquiry into the incident from the National Investigative Agency (NIA). The case should be probed on various aspects such as on whom’s call did the SIMI prisoners implement the ‘escape-plan’? Where did they secure armed guns? Who helped them?
Four among the eight terrorists are accused in bank robbery case near Choppadandi village in Karimnagar district. These notorious terrorists are involved in 17 cases pertaining to bomb blasts at various parts of the country.
