ISIS threat in India: National Investigation Agency IG Alok Mittal on Monday informed that the NIA has so far arrested 127 people who were found to have connections with dreaded terror organisation ISIS. Of those arrested, 33 are from Tamil Nadu, 19 from Uttar Pradesh, 17 from Kerala and 14 from Telangana. “In three of these ISIS cases from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the accused have admitted that they were radicalised by Zahran Hashim’s videos. Hashim, as we know, is the mastermind of the Easter day bombings in Sri Lanka,” Mittal said while speaking at an NIA event where National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present.
Putting out the details of other cases, the NIA officer said that the accused in the majority of the cases have admitted that they were radicalised through videos of fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. “So a case was registered against Naik and his organisation Islamic Research Foundation,” the top NIA official added.
Mittal also informed about the progress in the cases related to fundings to separatists leaders in the Valley. He said that in the main case of terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, the chiefs of proscribed organisations and top separatist leaders have been arrested and charge-sheeted. “None have got bail so far. They were being funded from Pakistan High Commission through remittances and hawala transfers,” he added.
Apart from Pakistan, Bangladesh is now emerging as the second frontier from where terrorists are trying to create trouble in India. Informing about this new trend, NIA Director-General Yogesh Chander Modi said that the NIA has noticed that the members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh have increased their activities in Bihar, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka. “Names of 125 suspects have been shared with related agencies,” the DG said.
The NIA has also registered cases based on the anti-India activities of Sikhs. “They are running a campaign on social media and trying to radicalise Sikh youth. Five people arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli last year have admitted that they were radicalised through ‘Referendum 2020’ propaganda,” IG Alok Mittal said. He further said that there have been continuous efforts from across the border to revive terror activities in Punjab.