Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 28: Saquib Abdul Hamid Nachan, a former member of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and a convicted terrorist with alleged links to ISIS, passed away while undergoing treatment for a brain stroke, Tihar Jail authorities confirmed on Saturday. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) also verified his death.
Nachan, 65, reportedly suffered the stroke while in judicial custody following his arrest in December 2023. He was first admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, where he succumbed.
A known figure in India’s terror landscape, Nachan had a long history of extremist activities. First flagged in 1991, he later drew attention for alleged links to terror plots in Gujarat with connections to Khalistani operatives. He was convicted by the Supreme Court in the late 1990s and came back into focus for orchestrating a string of deadly bombings in Mumbai between 2002 and 2003—specifically at Mumbai Central, Vile Parle, and Mulund. The attacks resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.
In 2017, Nachan completed a 10-year sentence for charges that included murder and possession of illegal arms and explosives. However, he continued to be a subject of investigation. Authorities accused him of attempting to establish a parallel Islamic rule by declaring a village in Maharashtra’s Thane district as “Al Sham,” echoing rhetoric of jihadist statehood.
Reports also link Nachan to ISIS, alleging he played a role in radicalizing youth and personally administering oaths of allegiance to new recruits. Intelligence agencies suspect he traveled to both Afghanistan and Pakistan and maintained ties with ISIS leaders operating from those regions.
His death marks a significant moment in the government’s crackdown on remnants of the SIMI network, which has been largely dismantled and pushed to the margins of India’s internal security landscape.
The body will be released to his family after the completion of legal and medical formalities.