NIA’s latest chargesheet underscores deep rooted problem of radicalisation in Tamil Nadu

The NIA probe also found that while the Ansarullah operates in Tamil Nadu, it is being controlled by elements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

New Delhi, May 27: The National Investigation Agency filed a chargesheet against one Diwan Mujpeer in connection with the Tamil Nadu Ansarullah case.

The case pertains to criminal conspiracy hatched by accused persons and their associates, who had pledged to the violent extremist ideology of proscribed terrorist organizations including Al-Qaeda and ISIS and had formed a terrorist gang namely Ansarullah while being in UAE and in India. They had recruited likeminded youth in to their fold besides conducting religious classes with the intention of waging violent jihad for establishing Islamic rule in India.

was found to have conspired with co- accused persons namely, Mohammed Ibrahim, Mohammed Sheik Maitheen, Meeran Ghani and Gulam Nabi Asath at UAE to form an extremist religious group, namely Ansarullah with an intention to establish Islamic rule in India especially in Tamil Nadu through violent Jihad. They had circulated a magazine named Thozhan for propagating extreme Jihadi ideologies of ISIS and Al Qaeda, the NIA said.

The above mentioned group may be small in nature, but have played an active role in penetrating into the Muslim society in Tamil Nadu. In a bid to further their cause, the NIA learnt that the Ansarullah had planned murders of Hindu leaders and also attacks on Temples.

Like the extremist Jihadi groups in Kerala, the ones in Tamil Nadu too have drawn inspiration from Abu Ala Maudidi, the 20th century Islamic thinker. The modus operandi in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are similar.

They do not operate directly as the Al Qaeda or Islamic State. In Kerala they are known as the Base Movement, while in Tamil Nadu they call themselves Ansarullah.

An Intelligence Bureau official explains to OneIndia that the reason they operate under different names is to avoid coming under the radar. While operating as smaller groups they are able to penetrate deeper and radicalise more since they manage to stay away from the eye of the agencies.

The NIA probe also found that while the Ansarullah operates in Tamil Nadu, it is being controlled by elements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Rafi Ahmed, Munthasir, Umar Barook, Moideen Seeni Shahul Hameed, and Faizul Sharief are the members of the module in the UAE controlling the Ansarullah in Tamil Nadu, the NIA said.

The radicalisation problem in Tamil Nadu is not new. The first known ISIS recruit from India was in fact a resident of Cuddalore. Haja Fakkruddin, it may be recalled had in early 2014 left for Syria through Singapore to be part of the ISIS. This was followed by a series of events related to the group and there was an image on the social media that went viral, in which several youth were seen posing with ISIS merchandise.