Denying the involvement of the Students Islamic Movement of India in Tuesday's blasts in Mumbai's trains that claimed 200 lives, its former president on Thursday termed the attacks a 'crime against humanity.'
Demanding a high-level probe into the attacks, Shahid Badar Falahi alleged that an orchestrated campaign is being conducted by the 'government, media, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bajrang Dal to deliberately discredit the SIMI' for the incident.
"Whoever is involved should be brought to book and unmasked before the people," Falahi said, when asked at a press conference whether he suspected the involvement of the Lashker-e-Tayiba in the attacks.
The move to implicate SIMI in the Mumbai blasts is aimed at influencing the tribunal that is reviewing the ban imposed on the group in 2001, Falahi alleged.
"We condemn all types of violence and terrorism, whether it is by the Bush administration or any terrorist outfit," he remarked when asked pointedly whether he condemned the spurt in killings of innocent people in Mumbai and Jammu and Kashmir.
He claimed that SIMI had been carrying out its activities peacefully since 1977 and not a single case of any crime has been proved against the organisation till date.
On the Kashmir imbroglio, Falahi said the issue should be left to the wisdom of the local people. However, when reporters wanted to query him further on the matter, Falahi was whisked out of the press conference by his lawyers.