HuT eyes South India: Fuels radicalisation with Palestine narrative

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The current situation in Bangladesh has not only made the country chaotic, but has also given several terror groups a breather. This fresh lease of life given to these terror groups will be directed against India, as that is their larger agenda.

With security deteriorating, the Indian agencies have on multiple occasions flagged the threat that is posed by the Jamaat-e-Islami, Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami or Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). While these terror groups are focused on West Bengal and the northeastern states, the name of another terror group has kept the agencies on their toes.

The Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), which has a major base in Bangladesh, is now trying to focus its operations in South India. The Intelligence agencies have already picked up chatter that suggests that the HuT is involved in brainwashing, radicalising and recruiting people from the southern states. The focus is on Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

There is a lot of material relating to Palestine that is in circulation. This is being used to recruit youth and also to paint a picture that India is not supportive of the Palestinian cause. The HuT is, however, not the first outfit to use this issue. Almost all terror groups do the same.

The HuT is not an outfit that can be taken lightly. It has managed to build a strong base in Bangladesh and also has its presence in India. It was the HuT that had first plotted to topple Sheikh Hasina in 2015. The plan, however, did not go through.

During that operation, the HuT had roped in 16 army officers of the Bangladesh army.

Today, the HuT seems to be having a free run in Bangladesh, and this only adds to India’s worry. In India, the outfit has managed to create a support base. Its base mostly comprises students. However, its supporters are part of proxy groups, and they have organised seminars in New Delhi and other parts of the country. The topic of discussion has only been the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Another incident that suggests that the HuT has a big base in India is when around 1,000 members of the group’s proxy came out in protest against the Battle House encounter in 2010.

Investigations into the group’s activities have also revealed that it wants to set up hit squads. These hit squads would fall under their newly created Sharia courts. The members would identify people to be killed, and once the Sharia court gives them directions, the job would be executed.

Going by the propaganda material that the HuT circulates, apart from hit squad,s it also speaks about the need to have lone wolf attackers. This is probably one of the most lethal forms of terror. A lone wolf operating on his own and who is not part of a dedicated module is extremely hard to track for the Intelligence agencies.

When compared to other groups, the HuT could possibly have it easier since it has had a presence in the country for a long time.

To understand the larger plan of the HuT in South India, one must revisit the questioning of Faizul Rehman, the Emir of the HuT in Tamil Nadu. He had spoken about the recruitment modules, the plans to incite the youth, create communal tensions and recruit.

The HuT had also tried getting in touch with the Pakistan Army to seek help for their operations in India. They also felt that apart from South, the Pakistan Army must help them liberate Jammu and Kashmir.

--IANS

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