These suspects have been found to engage with pro-IS activities on online forums
Delhi: In a surveillance operation that has been ongoing for a while, authorities have discovered nearly 150 Indian citizens to be supportive of IS activities across the world, through their activities on social networking sites and other online forums. They are following the propaganda unfold with uncanny interest. More importantly, a majority of these people are from southern parts of India.
The threat of the terrorist group looms large all over the world, but for a country like India, which has undergone relentless bouts of terrorism over the ears signifies more the danger. Pro-IS elements in Jammu & Kashmir are at large and reports have shown people waving ISIS flags in certain regions. Hence, the surveillance is vita. However, officials are not keen on taking preemptive action at this point in time on those who have been detected to hold keen interest in the Is. These youths will remain under close inspection and as and when they show signs of radicalization, authorities will intervene and provide counseling to the youths and alert their families.
Trends of data traffic from social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are instrumental in the detection of suspicious activities such as this and they form an important part of India’s anti-IS strategy. The National Technical Research Organization (NRTO) has been tracking data traffic related to the Is activities for a few months and flagging unusual patterns for further investigation. In a survey conducted last month, the NRTO discovered that the traffic was directed in states like Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal, in order. The age group[ of the people requesting this data was found to be between 16-30 years, mostly coming from cities such as Srinagar, Mumbai, Howrah, Chinchwad, Unnao and Guwahati.
As far as it goes, 23 Indians from India and the diaspora have been known to have joined the terrorist group in the Iraq-Syria region for ‘jihad’. This includes four young men from Mumbai, out of which 2 are reported to have died in action and one, Areeb Majeed, has returned to India and is in custody alongside one Indian from Singapore, Oman, Kerala, Telangana and Australia each. 6 of the Indian IS recruits have been killed, out of which 3 were posted in the Indian Mujaheedin (IM) previously: two from Maharashtra and one from Telangana. Meanwhile, the security personnel have arrested at least 8 Indian IS recruiters, out of which one was allegedly a woman named Afsha Jabeen, who were based in the UAE. Nearly 30 indoctrinated Indians were stopped by authorities from joining the terrorist group, including one woman from Delhi.
The government is taking pro bono action in preventing IS activity in India and when warned of a ‘lone-wolf’ attack by a member upon return, an officer explained their strategy, “Unlike other countries that strip their citizens who join and fight for IS of their passports, we have no such plan. We’d rather let them return and intercept them here.”
The biggest concern for the government right now is to track the IS work trail in the country, because although the organization itself doesn’t hold much presence individually, officials are warning of IS-funded terrorism carried out by terrorist groups, which have already settled in India. Quoted an advisory to the states from the Home Ministry,” Though the IS has not been able to establish any significant presence in India, its success in radicalizing some youth, attracting certain sections of the local population or the Indian diaspora to physically participate in its activities or the possibility of piggy-backing on terrorist groups operating in India have opened up the possibility of IS-sponsored terrorist action on Indian territory.”
Source: The Times Of India
Tags: IS IS in India ISIS
