New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) With elections in West Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh around the corner, Intelligence agencies have sounded an alert about large scale radicalisation drives in these regions.
While on one hand the radicalisation drives are aimed at polarising voters, on the other hand they are also meant to set up terror modules with the intention of carrying out large scale attacks.
In Bangladesh, the Jamaat-e-Islami is already in overdrive mode to radicalise individuals. The idea is to change the dynamic of the voters who are currently more titled towards the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The events in Bangladesh have raised alarm bells in West Bengal and Assam, where certain elements are conducting events and running camps aimed at carrying out radicalisation drives.
Amid these developments, an event that was conducted in West Bengal called the Biswa Ijtema has raised concerns amid the Intelligence agencies. The event was held in Punian village near Hooghly district between January 2 and 5 and was attended by people from 100 different countries.
There were two things that caught the attention of the agencies. First it was being held after nearly three decades. The last time this event was held was in 1992. Second, the event was shifted to West Bengal after being cancelled in Bangladesh owing to political instability.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the event concluded with calls for global peace. However, what is worrying about such large scale events is that they can become breeding grounds for radicalisation. Moreover, with the situation so volatile in Bangladesh and elections round the corner in several Indian states, such events need to be viewed with caution.
Last year, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval paid a visit to Kolkata and held back-to-back meetings with senior officials of the police and Intelligence Bureau. The meeting came in the backdrop of the Intelligence agencies stating that Murshidabad, 24 South Parganas, Malda and Birbhum are areas of concern. The large number of Madrasas in these areas have been flagged as matters of concern and hence heightened surveillance is needed, the agencies had said.
An official said that terror groups tend to use massive events such as the one that took place in West Bengal as recruitment grounds. They send in their recruiters to talk to the youth and convince them into taking up arms.
An official said that must one must be fully mindful of the fact that the Islamic State has already begun scouting for youth to set up its Bengal Province. This has been an ambitious plan of the outfit and it is actively looking for recruits from Bangladesh, Assam and West Bengal. Its men would look to infiltrate large gatherings and scout for people.
The Islamic State is already circulating posters on its online channels including its Al-Bengali Media. The posters speak about the oppression of Muslims in the region. It has called upon all Muslims to unite against the Indian state. Another official said that the Islamic State wants the Muslims in West Bengal, the northeastern states and Bangladesh to unite and fight against the Indian state.
In a recent letter to the Union Government, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose spoke about the effects of the riots that took place in Murshidabad district. He said that the twin spectres of radicalisation and militancy present a grave challenge.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that these are all clear signs of how much of an overdrive mode radical elements are on. With the elections nearing they would resort to all sorts of tactics to push their agenda. There would be heavy emphasis on infiltration, illegal immigration, radicalisation, recruitments, rioting and smuggling. They are aware that the security agencies have their eyes more on maintaining law and order in an election year and would hence take advantage of the situation, the official also added.
–IANS
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