The first Indian module of the radical Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) has been recently dismantled by the Madhya Pradesh Police’s anti-terrorist squad (ATS). Sources have revealed that the module had a focus on religious conversion, with five suspects having married Hindu girls, two of whom had converted to Islam a few years ago.
The key accused in the busted module includes Yasir Khan, a gym trainer based in Bhopal, and Mohd Salim, previously known as Saurabh Rajvaidya, the son of a retired Ayurveda doctor from Bhopal. Mohd Salim is currently a senior staff member at a pharmacy college in Hyderabad, which is reportedly associated with a politician’s family.
According to ATS sources, five of the arrested individuals had converted from Hinduism to Islam. Mohd Salim, Abdur Rehman (previously known as Devi Narayan Panda), and Mohd Abbas Ali (previously known as Benu Kumar) were among those who had undergone religious conversions.
Mohd Salim’s parents in Bhopal’s Berasiya area have alleged that their son was brainwashed and converted to Islam by a senior colleague named Dr. Kamal, with videos of controversial fundamentalist Islamic preacher Dr. Zakir Naik further influencing his conversion. While expressing that they have no animosity towards Islam, they emphasized their pride in their religion and culture. They also revealed that Mohd Salim had expressed intentions of going to Syria in 2010-11. Due to his growing disconnection from their religion and culture, they eventually asked him to leave their house.
After leaving home, Saurabh, who holds a Master of Pharmacy degree, adopted the name Salim and lived with his wife and two children in Bhopal for a few years before relocating to Hyderabad in 2019-20 for a job at a prominent college.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra hailed the efforts of the state police and stated that the investigation had uncovered the religious conversion of seven individuals associated with the case. Those responsible for brainwashing the men to convert to Islam included a gym trainer, a professor, a software engineer, a software technician, and a private coaching operator. Mishra vowed not to allow such activities to take place in Madhya Pradesh.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also commented on the arrest of the alleged HuT module, expressing his determination to prevent a “Kerala-like story” from unfolding in Madhya Pradesh.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) is a radical Islamic group that has been banned in 16 countries, including China, Germany, Russia, Bangladesh, and Turkey. The organization aims to re-establish the Islamic caliphate, unite Muslims, and implement Sharia law globally.
The ATS, with the assistance of the Telangana Police, arrested a total of 16 men associated with the HuT module from Bhopal, Chhindwara, and Hyderabad on May 9. They are currently in ATS custody until May 19.
