Deradicalisation on for youths with leanings towards ISIS: CM

Deradicalisation is underway for 29 youths found to be having leanings towards ISIS, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said today.

"The activities of Islamic fundamentalists who owe allegiance to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a terror outfit) are being closely monitored. Deradicalisation is underway for 29 Muslim youths, who were found having leanings towards ISIS," Palaniswami said.

A special team in the intelligence wing was keeping tabs on the social media for pro-ISIS elements, the Chief Minsiter said tabling the policy note for 2018-19 for the police department.

On the Special Task Force, vested with the responsibility of preventing extremists from taking refuge in the forests of Tamil Nadu, he said their focus of late has been on the tri-junction region of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka (in the Nilgiris district).

"Due to continuous sightings and activities of Maoists in the forests of Kerala,especially in Malappuram, Wayanad and Palakkad districts bordering Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts, joint-combing operations by the STF with Kerala police were done," he said.

STF personnel visited about 2,061 fringe villages in the hilly areas of Tamil Nadu districts bordering Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, he said.

For the Coastal Security Group of Tamil Nadu police, , twelve 12-tonne boats and 12 five-tonne boats fitted with Light Machine Guns and Indian Small Arms System Rifles and pistols have been sanctioned under a central government sponsored security scheme, he said.