The chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on
Sunday that youths in South India were getting more influenced by the ISIS
ideology than those in other parts of the nation. At the foundation laying ceremony of NIA’s new office in
Lucknow, NIA Director General Sharad Kumar said the number of radicalised
youths in southern states is higher than that of states like Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar, The Times of India reported.
The NIA chief said social or economic reasons are not to be
blamed for radicalisation of youth by the Islamist extremist group. In view of the
increasing number of cases of radicalisation, the Centre has started an
anti-radicalisation campaign, Kumar said, according to TOI.
Earlier reports suggest majority of Indian youths who are
under the radar of the security forces for their alleged inclination towards
the Islamic State are from South India.
In an interview with India Today channel last month,
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said “it is reality” that
most of the youngster coming under the influence of ISIS’ ideologies are from
Andhra, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
At least 150 youths who allegedly sympathise with ISIS are
under the surveillance of the security agencies and most of them are from South
India, PTI reported. “Most of them are in regular contact with some ISIS
activists through online medium . Hence, we have kept all of them under
surveillance of security forces,” PTI had quoted an official linked to the
investigation as saying.
The intelligence agencies were reported to have identified
at least 20 Indians who joined the ISIS in Syria and Iraq. While one returned
to India, six others died while fighting for the Sunni extremist fighters in
the Middle East. The Indian authorities also prevented 30 more Indians from
leaving the country to join the terrorist group.
Recently, three youths from Mumbai were suspected to have
joined ISIS after they went missing from the Malwani suburb. However, one of
them was arrested by Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Pune on 22
December.
The ATS arrested 25-year-old Wajid Sheikh, while 23-year-old
Ayaz Sultan and 26-year-old Mohsin Sheikh are still missing. Wajid’s wife had
told the Mumbai Police that “he started getting swayed by the extremist
ideology” and was very vocal about his wish to go to Syria to join the Islamic
State
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