Islamic State's rise in Andhra: Chandrababu Naidu is a worried man

While there has not been a direct case registered as yet in Andhra Pradesh, residents of this state have found to be in IS territory.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday made a frantic appeal to the Union Home ministry, seeking better security in the wake of the rising threat by the Islamic State. "The IS is slowly it is establishing its activities. If you sanction Rapid Action Force, it will go a long way to control them," Naidu told the Home ministry.

If one were to draw a comparison the threat perception is higher in Telangana when compared with Andhra Pradesh. While this being the case, Intelligence Bureau officials say that there are at least 37 persons on the radar for IS-related activities from both states. All these persons were deradicalised by the intelligence agencies and currently a close watch is being kept on them.

The problem could escalate

While most of the IS-related activities have been reported from Telangana, agencies warn of the rise of the outfit in Vishakapatanam, Kurnool and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. While there has not been a direct case registered as yet in AP, residents of this state have found to be in IS territory. Haneed Wassem, 27, from Mancherial, Adilabad died fighting in Syria. Officials suspect that three more from the state are in Syria.

In this context one must recall the busting of an IS module in Hyderabad. Four persons were arrested for propagating in favour of the IS. It was revealed during the investigations conducted by the National Investigation Agency that these youth were planning on carrying out blasts at police stations and also recruiting from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that there are problem areas in the state of AP. "The problem is not all that grave when compared to Telangana, but it could very quickly catch on," said an IB official.

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