Hanif Shaikh, a government school teacher and member of the proscribed organization SIMI, was apprehended by the Delhi Police after a 22-year-long pursuit. Law enforcement agencies had been actively seeking Shaikh since cases were filed against him under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and he was charged with sedition in 2001.
According to police Shaikh, identified as the editor of the Urdu edition of the group’s magazine ‘Islamic Movement,’ has allegedly played a significant role in radicalizing numerous young Muslims over the past 25 years.
The arrest of Hanif Shaikh came after extensive efforts by the police, who initially had limited leads, with only the name “Hanif Hudai” mentioned in the ‘Islamic Movement’ magazine as their primary clue. Shaikh, who had been residing in Maharashtra’s Bhusawal, was described by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the Special Cell, Ankit Singh, as a “dreaded SIMI terrorist” with multiple cases against him for anti-national activities in Maharashtra.
Hanif Shaikh allegedly participated in SIMI’s gatherings across various states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kerala, and had been declared a fugitive by a Delhi court in 2002. Over the past four years, the police, dedicated to tracking him down, received intelligence indicating that Shaikh had assumed a new identity, going by Mohammad Hanif, and was employed as a teacher at an Urdu medium municipal school in Bhusawal. Acting on this information, the police set up a successful operation on February 22, culminating in Shaikh’s arrest.
According to police ‘Hanif Shaikh’s journey into extremism traces back to his involvement with SIMI after completing his diploma from Marul Jalgaon in 1997. Joining SIMI as an “Ansar (full-time worker),” Shaikh reportedly became increasingly radicalized through interactions with SIMI members. Elevated to the position of editor of the Urdu edition of ‘Islamic Movement’ in 2001 by the then SIMI chief Sahid Badar, Shaikh utilized the platform to disseminate provocative content, often exaggerating atrocities against Muslims’.
Following a police raid in 2001, Shaikh eluded capture and went underground, eventually relocating to Bhusawal from Jalgaon. He has confessed to traveling extensively across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, actively promoting SIMI’s agenda. In the aftermath of SIMI’s ban, many of its members dispersed, some continuing their extremist activities independently, resulting in various acts of terrorism and anti-national activities.
Hanif Shaikh, who hails from a family of five siblings, a wife, and three children, now faces the legal repercussions of his alleged involvement in terrorist activities.
everyday they need a Muslim name for their survival, if not, so many Santani communal extremists freely roaming across India enjoying their “business”!