Recent developments offer scary possibilities
Following the arrest in Bangalore of Mehdi Masroor Biswas, an obvious sympathiser of the terror group, Islamic State, it should be clear to all — and more importantly to those who have been downplaying the IS influence in India — that the threat is clear and present in this country. Just because the terror outfit is not operating openly here as it is in Syria, it does not mean that there is room for complacency.
Nor does it make sense for the Indian state to suddenly scramble for solutions once the crisis hits with full force. Enough indications have come over the recent months to demonstrate that the IS, directly or through its affiliates or well-wishers, is seeking to make its present felt in India and thereafter expand its base. On the face of it, Mehdi Biswas may not be a terrorist — though we still don't have enough material to confirm or deny the possibility.
But it is clear that he had been of help to the outfit through his Twitter handle, by spreading the IS's message across to people in the country and elsewhere. He has also admitted to a foreign channel that he would have joined active service of the IS but for some family obligations. We don't know how many such Mehdis are operating in the country. Hopefully, the recent arrest will propel the police and intelligence agencies to dig for more and uncover latent plots against the country. It must be remembered that Mehdi Biswas is only the latest in a series of worrisome developments regarding the IS's role in India.
A few days ago, an IS recruit returned to India and is now in the custody of security agencies. He was one of a clutch of those who are said to have gone to Syria to join the terrorist organisation. The numbers of Indian Muslims shifting to terror groups such as the IS are definitely small, and it cannot be said with any sense of responsibility that Indian Muslims are being won over by these outfits. Yet, even the miniscule few who join or are engaged in activities that help the IS, are a matter for concern. It is here that the security and intelligence agencies have to step in forcefully to nip the trouble in the bud. Unfortunately, certain politicians and political parties are less than enthusiastic in undertaking the task. Worse, they treat the matter with disdain — as if the issue does not exist.
A few weeks ago, when a bunch of youths roamed on the streets of Jammu & Kashmir holding aloft the IS flag — and at least on two separate occasions, for that matter — Chief Minister Omar Abdullah dismissed the incident as the work of some mischievous elements. By turning a blind, and at times even benevolent, eye to such happenings, we will encourage these dangerous mindsets to take that one, calamitous, extra step.
Moreover, it is not just the IS that is looking to expand beyond the levant and into India; Al Qaeda has announced the opening of a unit dedicated to inflicting terror in the Indian sub-continent, with India as a special target. From across the border, the lashkar-e-Tayyeba and its avatars are already active and seeking to bleed this country with a thousand cuts. Given the many tragic moments India has faced due to terrorism, even a so-called small attempt to promote terror by individuals acting supposedly on their own must be taken with gravity and dealt with accordingly.