Indian jihadist in Iraq not a threat: C Uday Bhaskar

Retired Commodore and security and strategic analyst C Uday Bhaskar, in light of the call to arms of the first Indian jihadist group aboard, said that it was not a big threat to national security.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Bhaskar said, "This is not the first time a call to arms by a jihadist group has happened, though the groups have been national. They affect only a very small group of the vast Muslim population of India. As an analyst, I don't think it is a big threat to India."

Bhaskar also warned of not paying too much importance to such calls. "Such groups crave publicity, so giving them too much importance will be playing into their hands. This is a development that has to be carefully monitored and intelligence agencies must be vigilant, yes, but not pay them too much attention."

He also said that the word 'jihad' has been deliberately misconstrued and misused. Bhaskar said, "The use of the word Jihad, we have seen that it has been differently misused," adding that such terrorist groups, in order to seek visibility, use mass media.

Recently a video emerged where an Indian appealed to Indian Muslims to take up arms and join the jihad in Iraq and Syria.