We are social reformers, claims Mumbai women's body accused of terrorism

The Mumbai Police Special Branch(SB) - I has issued a circular, alerting the city's police force about the possibility of highly-trained women militants posing a threat to the city.

The group, identified in the circular as Girls' Islamic Organisation (GIO), is a part of the 65-year-old Jamaat-e -Islami Hind and is said to be currently undergoing training in Kerala. "The group is being instructed mostly in the Quran and Hadis under their commanders," the notice states, adding that the main purpose of the organisation is to tap extremist elements in schools and colleges in India.

However, when SUNDAY MiD DAY contacted the Jamat office, an official spokesperson vehemently denied the allegations and said they were planning to sue the Mumbai police for making defamatory statements against them.u00a0The SB circular actually names Sahela Baji as the head of the group's Maharashtra unit. Another woman, Sumaiyya Muslim, is said to be readying the group for Jihad.

The group has a Facebook page with 3,177 likes and is regularly updated. "This is a one-of-a-kind group, which involves women. We have alerted all the police stations and the units across the state," said a senior officer from the Special Branch on condition of anonymity. When contacted Additional commissioner of police Naval Bajaj refused to comment on the issue stating that they had no information on such an alert. However Mumbai Police's official spokesperson Satyanarayan Chaudhary said, "The circulars issued by Special Branch are confidential."

Jamat-e-Islami Hind angry at accusations
"We are not a violent organisation. Our job is to connect with Muslims across the country and do good work. We work for social reforms and fight for women's rights too. We do believe in Jihad, but in non-violent, spiritual Jihad. We are considering legal action against the Mumbai police," said Tauffiq Aslam Khan, president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, the parent body of GIO.u00a0