Myanmar-Burdwan blast link: How Rohingyas' cause blew out of proportion

Following the blast at Bodhgaya almost two years back, the investigating agencies were quick to point out that the SIMI was espousing the cause of the Rohingya Muslims based out of Myanmar. This information was coupled with the Al-Qaeda raising the cause of the Rohingya Muslims and today it has become one of the major agendas for several terror outfits.

Today the NIA declared that a person by the name Khalid has been arrested in connection with the Burdwan blasts case. Khalid a resident of Myanmar belonging to the Rohingiya Solidarity Organization and having links with Bangladesh based terrorist groups was picked up from Hyderabad by the NIA. [Burdwan blast: Myanmar link exposed]

Before getting into the issue of the Rohingya Muslims, let us understand how the Burdwan incident is connected to this cause. The Burdwan module was being run by the Al-Qaeda sponsored Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh.

Al-Qaeda, SIMI took up Rohingya Muslims' cause to retaliate against Buddhists' atrocities

The Al-Qaeda and its Indian affiliate, the SIMI, had taken up the cause of the Rohingya Muslims against whom atrocities have been alleged in Myanmar by a section of the Buddhists. This was one of the primary reasons to carry out the Bodhgaya attacks and it was meant to send a message to those who were allegedly carrying out attacks against the Rohingya Muslims.

Several Rohingya Muslims took refuge in Hyderabad

In this context it is interesting to note that several Rohingya Muslims had taken refuge in Hyderabad.

After the investigations into the Bodhgaya blasts, it was found that 1800 Rohingya Muslims who had fled from Myanmar had taken refuge in Hyderabad. Most of them took shelter in the Old City of Hyderabad and ever since this happened there has been a thorough scrutiny on these people. While it was found that 90 per cent of the cases were genuine and they were only looking for food and shelter, the worry was the rest of the 10 per cent.

The infiltration into Hyderabad started in 2012, according to the city unit of the Hyderabad intelligence.

10% of the immigrants fell vulnerable to terrorists

Coming back to the issue of the 10 per cent of these immigrants, what has been found is that they have been tapped by terror outfits taking advantage of the situation that they face.

A section of the Rohingya Muslims in Hyderabad is a real threat to India

They have been living in fear and need protection and this is when terror groups swooped in and decided to take advantage of them. Regarding the Burdwan module, it was found that the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and the Al-Qaeda had set up several bases in South India as well. They had created hiding points and also trained some of them in preparation of arms of ammunition.

Khalid was kept on stand-by mode

Khaled who was arrested was one such person. He was kept on stand-by mode by the JMB and his services would have been utilized in due course of time as they had planned on carrying out a series of attacks in a phased manner.

Terrorists have managed to send their men to India through infiltration

Intelligence Bureau officials point out that this is an extremely worrying sign since the worst fears have been confirmed. First of all, India is dealing with the illegal immigration from Bangladesh and it has been found that among the many who have come into the country, terror groups have managed to infiltrate their men as well. Now this issue of the Rohingya Muslims is also threatening to blow out of proportion.

Terrorists have entered humanitarian camps as well

Several have landed in India especially in Hyderabad in search of food, shelter and protection. They live in camps under the protection of some NGOs. It is unfortunate that terror groups have managed to infiltrate into these camps as well and there are a few who are seeking out revenge and very easily fall trap to these groups.

Several Rohingyas face problems in India and want to return home

A report of the Hyderabad police suggests that these Rohingya Muslims face a lot of problems in India. Their culture and eating habits do not match with that of the Indians and they are in a desperate situation. Some have even told the police that they do not wish to stay on and would love to return to their country. However, there are the others who believe that the only way to get back is by getting involved in acts of terror and taking the fight back to their homeland.