On the day a Delhi court convicted suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) member Shahzad Ahmad in the Batla House encounter, Minority Affairs Minister K Rehman Khan said the Muslim community in general did not believe in the existence of the outfit. He, however, added that he was only reflecting a "feeling" among the community.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Khan said: "Unlike other organisations, the Muslim community is not buying its existence in the country... As far as the IM is concerned, nobody knows what it is, where it was formed, how it was formed and who runs it." Asked if he was denying the existence of the outfit, Khan said he was neither denying nor questioning anything, but pointed out that "the community has that feeling".

He also said there were some "misguided" youths in every section of society, and drew parallels with the Bajrang Dal.

While declining to comment on reports that the IM was formed after the Gujarat riots, Khan asserted that there was "a sense of insecurity" and "anger" among the Muslims after the Babri Masjid demoliton and the Gujarat riots. "That is a fact which nobody can deny," he said.

"Muslims of India have total commitment to the country's security," he added. He said barring the Batla House conviction, no Muslim has been found guilty in a terror case. "It is only suspected. A few are suspected... their involvement is not proved... Even in Kashmir, terrorists are coming from outside the country... With such a large population, have you ever found a single Indian Muslim going and supporting terrorists in Kashmir?" he asked.

"Some youths are misguided. Some of the fundamentalist Hindu youths may also be misguided... Hindu fundamentalist organisations like Bajrang Dal...What is it that they are doing? What about moral policing and all? What are they doing? How do you describe this attitude of some misguided Hindu organisations? Why don't you talk about that? Who will control them? You take some suspected youth from the Muslim community...but such elements are free to do whatever they like," he said.

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