Influencing Kashmir’s educational system: NIA cracks down on Jamaat’s frontal wing

New Delhi, Oct 11: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the suspicious activities allegedly carried out by Al Huda Educational Trust.

Officials tell OneIndia that the raids are being carried out at Poonch, Jammu, Srinagar, Budgam, Shopian, Bandipora and Rajouri. The NIA had registered the case suo-motu after it learnt about the funding pattern of the trust. Investigations revealed that the trust is a frontal entity for the Jamaat-e-Islami J&K which was declared as an unlawful association under the UAPA in 2019.

Last month the Jammu and Kashmir police cracked down on the affiliates of the Jamaat namely the Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT).

It may be recalled that the Jammy and Kashmir School Education Department had in June directed the cessation of academic activities of the FAT affiliated schools. The institutes were ordered to be sealed down within 15 days.

The JeI had come under the scanner of the security agencies after it was learnt that the outfit was in close contact with terrorist groups. The Centre had in March 2019 banned the JeI for a period of five years.

The agencies had also found that the FAT had encroached government property or community land. It had also used the Hizbul Mujahideen to go about these actions. The Hizbul Mujahideen it may be recalled had burnt down several government schools in the Valley. It was found that the correlation between destroying government facilities and creating parallel private facilities were co-curricular and extra-curricular programmes to influence the youth.

In September the agencies had arrested 2 clerics and 5 activists of the JeI who had a large following on the social media and were influencing the youth.

The official cited above says that this is an eco-system which is trying to influence the educational system in J&K. These clerics and institutions which are frontal organisations of terror groups have managed to recruit many educated youth into their fold.

As per a report of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), an Intelligence wing of J&K Police, 32 per cent of youths who joined militancy had passed Class X and 19 per cent were undergraduates or graduates. While post-graduates constitute 7 per cent, the remaining 7 per cent who joined militancy were without any education.

Over 65 per cent showed religious inclination before joining militancy while 10 per cent were academically inclined. While 3 per cent were drug addicts and the rest 22 per cent were vagabonds, the report submitted by CID to MHA said.

Asserting social media had an impact on them, the CID report said 25 per cent of youths had access to social media in 2010 and 2011 respectively which rose to 30 per cent by 2014 and 70 per cent in 2015.

The report says that opting for guns "is a youth phenomena" and youngsters "join militancy because of thrill seeker attitude".