150 under scanner in Assam for Islamic State links

IB officials say that Assam, which has been under their watch for some time now, is becoming a hotbed for the dreaded Islamic State

The Intelligence Bureau has placed under scanner 150 youth from Assam for alleged links with the Islamic State. The spread of the IS from Bangladesh to West Bengal and Assam with the help of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen is a well-known fact. Intelligence Bureau officials say that the IS has managed to spread its ideology deep into the system in West Bengal and it is attempting the same in Assam as well.

It has been found that several splinter outfits which work for the JMB and the IS combine in Assam. Signs of the IS rising in Assam were witnessed in 2016, when nearly 40 persons were arrested for their links with the terrorist outfit.

Assam has been on the radar of the IS for long. Along with West Bengal and Bangladesh, Assam forms part of the ambitious Bengal Caliphate proposed to be set up by the IS. When the Burdwan episode broke out in 2014, several operatives of the JMB were traced to Assam as well.
During questioning the accused revealed that terrorists had slipped into India through both Assam and West Bengal. There is a huge migrant population in both these states and a weak border has only made it easier for terrorists to slip in, officials say.

During a recent meeting held in Guwahati, the issue relating to the IS had cropped up. It was decided that the state administration would coordinate closely with the central agencies to stem this rot before it went out of hand.

Oneindia News