Know about Indian Mujahideen, India's first home grown jehadi terror outfit

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed started a controversy by claiming that it was the 2002 Gujarat riots that led to the formation of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM). Hitting back, the BJP said the remarks were “stupid” and “reprehensible” as the Pakistan links of such outfits were well known. The BJP alleged it was the “desperate” Congress that was actually trying to communalise the political scenario and playing with national security as it had “no answers for all the wrongs” it had done. So let's go back and see the actual reason behind the formation of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. In 2008, India faced multiple terror attacks on its cities across several states. These attacks resulted mostly in civilian deaths. The May 13, 2008 Jaipur bombings killed 80 civilians and injured more than 200, the Ahmedabad terrorist bombings of July 26, 2008, killed nearly 45 civilians and wounded 160, while the Bangalore bombs the previous day killed one person and wounded six. The Delhi bombings of September 13, 2008 killed 30 civilians and injured nearly 90 while the Guwahati blasts of October 30 the same year killed 83 civilians and injured nearly 300. In all the attacks, a hitherto unknown group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed responsibility, thereby shifting the blame from more established terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Believed by some to be a front for the Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba the Indian Mujahideen on 4 June 2010 was declared a terrorist organisation and banned by the Government of India. Information on the early years of the Indian Mujahidin has been drawn from Sadiq Israr Sheikh, the only founding member of the group in custody. Investigators believe that Indian Mujahideen is one of many groups composed of lower-tier SIMI members. According to the Indian Intelligence Bureau, SIMI took new titles because the top leadership of SIMI have been detained and would be available for interrogation. The change in names is believed to signal a change in tactics as SIMI affiliated militants attempt to garner more support from India's Muslim community rather than be seen as a group consisting of foreigners. The name was first used in November 2007 in a press release claiming responsibility for multiple bomb attacks in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh which killed 17. The militant wing was co-founded by Aamir Reza Khan, Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal. Among the other founder members were Sadiq Shaikh (arrested) and Atif Amin (killed in the Batla House encounter in New Delhi). The outfit was first named Furqan. In Arabic it means one who differentiates between haq and batil. The members later thought the name was too technical for common men to understand. They rechristened the outfit Isaba, which in Arabic means the battalion of Prophet Mohammed. But again, not everyone was happy with it. Finally, they settled on the name Indian Mujahideen. It was Riyaz Bhatkal who first coined the name Indian Mujahideen in the emails he sent to some media houses just minutes before the Jaipur blasts in May 2008. Following is a timeline of attacks in India allegedly by the IM: May 13, 2008: A series of six explosions tore through Jaipur, a popular tourist destination in the Rajasthan state in western India, killing 63 people and injuring more than 150. July 25, 2008: Seven blasts in quick succession across the south Indian tech city of Bangalore killed one and injured more than 150 people. July 26, 2008: Serial blasts in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad killed 45 people and injured more than 150. A group calling itself Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility. Sept. 13, 2008: Five bomb blasts in New Delhi's popular shopping centers left 21 people dead and more than 100 injured. The Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility. Sept. 27, 2008: A blast in a New Delhi flower market left one dead. Oct. 30, 2008: Thirteen bomb blasts in India's northeastern state of Assam and three other towns left at least 61 people dead more than 300 injured. July 13, 2011: Three bomb blasts in Mumbai; at least 20 people killed and more than 100 injured