Gravestones of SIMI-linked prisoners read 'martyr'

The headstones over the graves of five of the eight killed SIMI aligned prisoners had been painted with the word 'martyr', police said.

On the night of October 31, eight Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) aligned prisoners escaped from a Bhopal jail after killing two security guards. All eight were killed in an alleged shootout nine hours later.

Of these, five (Akeel Khilji, Mehboob, Amjad, Zakir, and Saleek) were buried in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.

On Wednesday, a video showing the words of 'martyr' painted on the headstones of the prisoners, vent viral on social media.

Police took action immediately and deleted the words by painting over the headstones.

Talking to IANS on Thursday, Khandwa Police Superintendent M.S. Sikarwar confirmed that the headstones of the SIMI aligned prisoners had been painted with the word 'martyr' and that it has been painted over.

The headstones are of black marble and the words martyr were written in white paint.

--IANS

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