Bangladeshi militants spreading terrorism in India: Indian intelligence
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NEW DELHI - Bangladesh terror group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has changed its tactics. Starting first week of December 2017 the terror outfit has released a flurry of India-centric literature calling for attacks against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leadership as opposed to just carrying out terror activities in Bangladesh, Indian media reported.
The multimedia messages and literature are targeted at Bengali-speaking Muslims in India in an attempt to broadbase JMB's activities in West Bengal and Assam.
"This recent strategy to shift their agenda from a Sharia-driven Muslim Bangladesh to build a violent guerrilla squad against top Indian political leadership seems a well thought out plan and agencies are keeping a close eye on their activities," intelligence sources told India Today.
The intercepted messages accessed by India Today also criticise the political leadership of India, Bangladesh and the United States.
According to intelligence agencies the terror group is moving to radicalise Bengali-speaking youths from the Muslim community in India.
The messages dub the current Indian leadership as anti-Muslim and goad the Muslim youths to act against the RSS leadership.
The propaganda traces the history of the RSS touching upon MS Golwalkar, the second chief of RSS, Hindutva icon Syama Prasad Mookerjee to the present chief Mohan Bhagwat.
JMB is also targeting sangh parivar affiliates such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Durga Vahini as enemies and potential targets.
"It can be a consequence of the intensive anti-terror drive by the Bangladesh government which has hit the group hard and thus it is eyeing India as its new breeding ground," intelligence sources told India Today.
JMB's HISTORY
Formed back in 1998 with an aim to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state based on Sharia, the terrorist group was banned by Bangladesh in 2005 after its involvement in several terrorist attacks came to light.
The Bangladesh government carried a series of anti-terror operations against JMB operatives following the deadly July 1, 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery cafe attack in which 20 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.
Investigations revealed that members associated with JMB, who later pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), conducted the attack.
On January 12, 2018, three JMB terrorists were killed in an encounter near Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's office in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.
Back in 2016, National Investigation Agency (NIA), India's premier central agency set up to combat terror, had filed a chargesheet in a Kolkata special NIA court against JMB members for furthering IS activities.
JMB operatives have been accused of making bombs, pushing fake Indian currency notes and planning lone wolf attacks against foreigners in India.
TERROR ACTS
The chargesheet also revealed that Abu Suleiman, a JMB operative visited India in March, 2015 and again in May, 2016 following which the Indian operative of JMB Abu Musa went to Srinagar in May, 2016, to carry out lone wolf attack on foreign tourists.
Musa also participated in a Friday congregation at the Jama Masjid in Srinagar and waved the IS flag. He was later arrested and is currently in jail.
