Fighting radicalisation to the finish: Why the NIA will have a busy outing in TN, Kerala

New Delhi, June 18: The National Investigation Agency (NIA)’s raids at Tamil Nadu and Kerala have revealed a larger picture about both radicalisation as well as the gradual rise of the Islamic State.

Security experts say that radicalisation in the state is deeply infested and the issue had been ignored for long. Successive governments had ignored the issue a close look at the situation suggests that both Tamil Nadu and Kerala have had a similar problem.

Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials have often pointed out that the issue was brushed under the carpet for long as a result of which radical elements had a field day in these states.

Former Research and Analysis Wing officer (R&AW), Amar Bhushan had recently told OneIndia that the lack of a free hand led to this menace. Officials would be weary to act for the fear of being tripped over.

He says that the NIA will be extremely busy in these states for sometime now. There is a lot of mess that has to be cleaned up and it feels good to know that they are working there with a free hand.

Officials say that the problem is not restricted to the rise of the ISIS alone. They are working alongside several radical groups such as the SIMI and PFI as a result of which they are getting ample support on the ground.

Moreover in the recent past, the SIMI has re-surfaced especially in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. All the above mentioned states had informed the Union Home Ministry about the activities of the outfit. They have also cited the convictions of Safdar Nagori and Abu Faisal, who are top operatives of the outfit.

In Kerala, the SIMI poses a major threat. It is closely associated with the PFI and has been involved in several radical activities.

In the ISIS related raids that were conducted in Tamil Nadu, it was also learnt that some of the accused persons and their associates were in touch with Zahran Hashim and his associates, over social media, with the intention of furthering the objectives of ISIS/ Daish in India.

On June 12, the NIA had conducted searches at seven locations in Coimbatore and seized incriminating material and documents from the homes and offices of the accused persons.