IM drawing sustenance from across border, says Shinde

Indian Mujahideen (IM) draws its "motivation and sustenance from inimical forces" in Pakistan, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Thursday, holding the outfit responsible for three major terror attacks in the country this year.

Addressing the annual Directors General of Police Conference here, Shinde said India faces multifarious challenges to its internal security in the form of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgency in the northeast, and the threat of Left-wing extremism and terrorism in the hinterland.

He also noted that some leaders of a United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) faction opposing peace talks had taken refuge in neighbouring countries, particularly Myanmar, and effective management was needed to prevent trans-border movement of such outfits.

Shinde also warned that attempts were made to vitiate communal harmony, especially in the states of Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

"Indian Mujahideen, which draws its motivation and sustenance from inimical forces operating from across the western border, has been responsible for three out of four major terror attacks in our hinterland this year," he said.

He blamed the IM for the Hyderabad twin blasts as well as the serial blasts in Bodhgaya and Patna, while the blast in Banglore earlier this year was handiwork of some misguided fundamentalist youth and remnants of Al-Ummah.

He noted that all cases have been successfully worked out.

Intelligence Bureau chief Asif Ibrahim, who spoke before Shinde, said social media was being misused to foment trouble and cited the Muzaffarnagar riots in Uttar Pradesh as an example.

Noting the Indian Mujahideen was trying to forge a nexus with other terror groups, he said that the arrest of the outfit's co-founder Yasin Bhatkal had led to identification of perpetrators and unravelling of terror plots.

Shinde said six states had witnessed a rising trend in the number of communal incidents this year, of which the most disturbing communal clashes took place in Muzaffarnagar and its adjoining areas.

"In most of these states, the triggering factors for communal incidents were trivial in nature and could have been nipped in the bud by effective, prompt and unbiased administrative action," he said.

He called on district officials to put in place an early warning system for immediate detection of communal issues and constantly engage with communities, particularly in disturbance prone areas. He also referred to misuse of social media in fanning trouble in Muzaffarnagar.

The home minister said that the multi-agency centre had emerged as an effective platform for coordination in fight against terrorism and its scope was being extended to more than 450 districts.

Referring to increase in targeted attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, Shinde said the attacks indicate a nefarious game plan hatched across the border to demoralise security forces and show people that the capabilities of militants remain undiminished.

Also citing the ceasefire violations, he said security forces cannot afford to lower their guard, particularly in view of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014.

He said many agreements for ceasefire in the northeast were being flouted by militants who were indulging in extortion and stressed the state police forces need to enforce these accords.