Assam Terror Module: DGP Meets Various Islamic Org, Seeks Aid To Bust Nefarious Activities
According to reports, some militants masquerading as religious instructors had infiltrated the state and quietly carried out subversive and anti-state actions.
In the midst of multiple arrests in Assam for alleged links to terrorist organisations Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta met with various Islamic organisations across the state on Sunday, seeking their support and cooperation in busting such terror modules, news agency ANI reported.
Speaking with ANI, Assam DGP stated: "Today, we met with the Islamic organizations across the state. Without their cooperation, we couldn't bust Al-Qaeda and ABT modules in the state. We urged them to extend their support, and cooperation and they also assured us of their support."
According to reports, some militants masquerading as religious instructors had infiltrated the state and quietly carried out subversive and anti-state actions.
As a result, the state police have arrested 38 people associated with AQIS/ABT.
The most recent arrest occurred on Wednesday night, when a man called Ajmal Hussain, who was affiliated to Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), was apprehended in the state's main city of Guwahati.
Meanwhile, officials in Assam razed three madrassas in three distinct districts following charges that their premises were utilised for terrorist operations, as well as being structurally fragile and unsuitable for human habitation.
"I don't want to generalise, but we investigate and take appropriate action when a complaint of fundamentalism comes," Sarma had said.
Previously, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that some madrassa administrations were not administering the institution but rather a "terrorist centre."
Sarma stated at a recent news briefing that six Bangladeshi nationals from the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) / Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) infiltrated Assam in 2016-17. One of them had been apprehended, while the other five were still at large.
Assam's Chief Minister reaffirmed that Islamic teachers entering the state would be thoroughly watched, and that the state was building a site where their information would be gathered.
"We have laid down standard operating procedures. Locals must inform police if any religious teacher (Imam) coming outside of the state and are not known to them," Sarma told media, ANI reported.
"Police will verify the person, and then he would be able to carry out his religious teaching at the Madrassas," he stated, adding that Assamese Muslims have been working with the government on this.
Assam currently has no government-run madrassas because they were recently turned into ordinary schools. Individual or privately run madrassas, on the other hand, continue to exist.
(With Inputs From ANI)