CAS article no. 0035/2016
Courtesy: South Asia Monitor
On the guard after the Pathankot airbase attack and with numerous reports hinting at the possibility of terror strikes targeting India, the Indian security forces have launched massive anti-terror operations to stem the growing reach of Islamic State (IS) in the country, apart from combing out the rogue elements belonging to the ISI backed terrorist outfits, including Al-Qaeda.
According to news reports, Indian Security agencies have arrested more than 21 Indians suspected to be IS operatives or sympathizers in India. Besides those whoe have been apprehended, approximately 150 Indians are also under close watch for their links with IS. While a small number of Indians could manage to sneak into the IS captured areas of Syria and Iraq, several imprudent youths have been successfully stalled from venturing into the territory of the self-styled Caliphate with the help of the Indian security forces and familial persuasion. In fact, a few Indians have also been deported from countries like Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Libya etc. on the grounds of suspicion that they too were headed to Syria and/or Iraq to join the IS contingent.
The suspected terrorists from the above mentioned outfits were arrested from different places including Delhi, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Mumbai, Bhopal, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Aurangabad etc. The interrogation of those arrested has revealed that their targets were religious places, crowded markets including malls, trains as well as Air Force and Navy installations.
Mohsin, an IS-operative, who was arrested from Delhi, was carrying INR 85,000 in cash at the time of arrest. He was trying to escape to Syria to join IS. The arrested IS operatives have been instigating Indian youths to join IS using amongst other things social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Besides sending money and propaganda material, the IS is allegedly facilitating their communication with the operatives in the Caliphate by providing laptop, SIM cards and phone devices.
Using the social media to its advantage, IS has been actively recruiting new members into its frigate by luring Muslim youth with material and other incentives. In fact, it was in response to the widening and deepening reach of the IS on the social media that in a proactive step, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had launched Operation Chakravyuh in 2015 with the aim to prevent several misguided Muslim youths from leaving India and joining IS. But notwithstanding the successes of such operations, reports are rife about IS using social media to recruit young, ill-advised and underprivileged Muslim youths into its nefarious, deadly setup.
Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind, which has affirmed its loyalty towards IS, has uploaded videos propagating Jihadist literature in Hindi, Urdu and Tamil in You Tube and on different websites. These hate mongering videos are dangerous for the unity of the country as they depict fabricated stories about the discrimination and atrocities on Muslims.
IS has also changed its strategy in the Indian subcontinent especially in India. Now IS has enrolled principal agents who in turn are recruiting low level action agents. These action agents are expected to carry-out terrorist acts in India. The principal agents would also try to unite various Islamic terrorist groups particularly Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT); Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI); Indian Mujahedeen (IM); Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and Harkat-ul-Mujahedeen (HUM). Although the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) is believed to be fighting the IS elements on its soil, but to see them support anti-India activities might compel them to have a change of heart sooner than later.
The danger of jihadi terrorism is real and increasing rapidly in India hence the policy makers must formulate a long term policy to counter the increasing influence of IS. It is certain that India is on the radar of international terrorist outfits including IS and AQIS and they want to dominate the sub-continent especially a ‘Hindu India’ as it seeks to enhance their status in the Islamic world. Therefore IS will like to utilize more resources in this region.
Government of India must prepare a big data base which must be supported by analysts, data analysts, technical experts, terrorism finance specialists, and security agencies. The state governments may also be allowed to access this data base so that they do not waste their time in maintaining separate data.
Security Agencies cannot fight terrorism alone hence society, students, NGOs, should be involved. Village Committees and in cities Mohalla Committees should be constituted which will work as ears and eyes of law enforcing agencies.
There should be a total coordination between multifarious security agencies of Central Government as well as with security agencies of state governments. It is good that present National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is not only knowledgeable but quite powerful because of his proximity with Prime Minister. In past he coordinated Myanmar and Pathankot Operations competently.
The majority as well as minority communities of India should try to strengthen the democratic and secular traditions of the country so that diverse terrorist organizations including IS do not succeed in enrolling the terrorists.
It is heartening to note that in view of the secular traditions of the country, a majority of Indian Muslims do not adhere to the idea of Islamic Caliphate of IS which has otherwise found its way into many pockets of Afghanistan and Pakistan. But, while the softer version of Islam that is practiced in India might be an effective impediment to the spread of Wahhabism in the country, measures will have to be taken to keep radicalism at bay.
Apart from initiating security efforts, it is the deteriorating economic condition of Muslims that will have to be addressed to begin with. It comes as no surprise that those recruited by extremist organizations are largely unemployed youngsters who can be lured with little monetary incentives. Hence, concerted efforts should be made to provide jobs and uplift the status of deprived Muslims.
More than 7 million Indians are working in the West Asian region where the Muslim fundamentalism is gaining ground. Indians working in the region would also be affected and when they would come back to India they would bring extremism with them and it will affect the secular fabric of the country. Indian missions in these countries should be tasked to raise agents to watch the activities of anti-India elements.
There are ideological and religious differences between IS and various terrorist groups operating in India. The IS is a Salafist outfit while the terrorist outfits in India are Deobandi. Salafists do not recognize any other sect including Deobandis hence the chances of cooperation between IS and terrorist groups in India is limited.
The meeting of Home Minister Rajnath Singh with a group of Muslim clerics on February 2 to clarify the apprehensions of Muslims about the ruling BJP government and the statement issued by Darul Uloom Deoband, the leading seminary, against terrorist outfits are important to curb rising trend of Muslim youths joining terrorist outfits.
(Jai Kumar Verma is a Delhi-based strategic analyst. He can be contacted at: editor@spsindia.in)
