Hyderabad, April 10: Intelligence agencies have been keeping a close watch on activities of Maulana Naseeruddin, accused in the assassination of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya and was later acquitted, after his fundamentalist organisation, Tehreek Tahfooz Sharia-e-Islam (TTSI) merged with Wahdat Islami.
The move, sources said, indicates that the ailing Maulana, now wants to get rid of the terror tag that is associated with his organisation, TTSI, members of which are involved in several terror-related cases.
The All India President of Wahdat Islami (Islamic unity), Maulana Ata Ur Rahman Wajdi, who belongs to Uttar Pradesh, held a meeting with Naseeruddin at the latter’s residence in Saidabad recently.
Sources said that Maulana Wajdi was previously a member of Jamat-e-Islami and was allegedly having links with the proscribed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). In 2002, once SIMI was banned, TTSI was formed.
However, though Wahdat Islami was formed around the same time and its presence noticed in northern states including Azamgarh in UP, it is now spreading its base in Andhra Pradesh.
Maulana Naseeruddin’s three sons — Raziuddin Naser, Yaser and Jaber are presently in Gujarat and Indore jails for their alleged involvement in terror cases.
Maulana himself was in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat for several years before he was acquitted.
However, with the Gujarat police going in for an appeal, Maulana and some other TTSI members recently visited Gujarat for the proceedings.
–Agencies