Bhopal jailbreak: Inscriptions glorifying SIMI activists removed

The inscriptions on the graves of five SIMI activists killed in an alleged encounter in Bhopal last month, which implied at glorifying their acts and described them as martyrs, have been removed, police said on Wednesday. "We raised the issue with the elders of Muslim community who got the inscriptions on the graves painted," District Superintendent of Police Mahendrasingh Sikarwar said.

Some inscriptions which tried to portray the deceased as Islamic martyrs and some other things written on the graves in Urdu and Hindi were whitewashed last night, sources said. Amjad Khan, Zakir Hussain, Mohammad Salik, Sheikh Mehboob and Aqueel Khilji were among the eight SIMI activists who were killed in an alleged encounter with police after they escaped from the Bhopal Central Jail on the intervening night of October 30-31.

On November 2, they were laid to rest at Bada Cemetery in Khandwa  amid tension and tight security. Over 2,000 people had taken part in their funeral procession and police had to drive people away at some places, to avoid any stampede-like situation.