Is ISIS eying on Coastal Karnataka?
The ISIS had reached Bhatkal and other parts of Karnataka about 6 years ago
Pragativahini News, Karwar: The recent publication in ISIS magazine showing the beheaded morphed picture of famous Shiva idol in Murudeshwar is not case of isolated incident. The incident is indication of spreading influence of ISIS in the coastal region of Karnataka.
Though it can be dismissed as the isolated incident with no consequence nobody is denying that ISIS had stated its activities in Bhatkal town which is just 10 km away from Murudeshwar 2016. Bhatkal a tiny town in Uttara Kannada was once known for the communal harmony as well as the foreign goods.
During ’70s people from different places of the country. Perfumes, cloths, and electronic goods were smuggled into the town and made available to the customers. The town has the Gulf connection and people used to the go to Gulf countries in search of the job and livelihood. The petro dollars that flowed into the town made it rich. Till mid ’90 the town was an example for the perfect communal harmony.
Slowly but steadily the smuggling of electronic goods turned into the smuggling of contraband and gold. At this point the social equation changed in the peaceful town and some unscrupulous elements started inflaming the communal feeling.
The gulf connection which had made this tiny town rich slowly brought it into the contact of some anti-India organization’s including terror outfits. Though Pak intelligence agency ISI started disadvantage of the situation some radicalized youths who returned from Gulf started sowing the seed of communal hatred in the region. This reached the zenith during early ‘90s and the Bhatkal town assumed the dubious distinction of being one of the most communally tense towns in India. During the prolonged communal riots in to the town in ’90 Bhatkal was under curfew for 6 months which created a record. Bhatkal assumed a dubious distinction that barring Kashmir, it was the only town which was under curfew for six long months.
This led to the counter reaction in the coastal Karnataka and rustled in the rise of Hindutva organization’s and BJP. Though Bhatkal is incident free with zero communal riots the anti-India forces had already gained ground in the town.
The home grown terror outfit IM was founded by Yaseen Bhatkal which created havoc in different parts country. After his arrested many youths from Bhatkal shifted their allegiance many international Islamic terror outfits including ISIS.
ISIS started its own wing ISIS- Khorasan which has the aim of converting South Asia into an Islamic Khaliphet and Shafi Armar of Bhatkal as its head. Shafi who hailed from Bhatkal fought for ISIS in Syria and Afghanistan and reportedly led by the US forces. It was he who sowed seeds of ISIS and recruited many youths for the organization.
Later in 2015 Dubai police arrested and handed over Adnan Damudi Indian police for allegedly involving in ISIS activates. Adnan was allegedly recruiting the youths from India and other parts of Asia for ISIS. Six years later that is August this year NIA arrested his brother Jufri Jawahar Damudi from Bhatkal for allegedly working ISIS. Jufri Jawahar Damudi alias Abu Hajir Al Badri, a key ISIS operative who was also high up in the ranks of Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), was arrested from Karnataka’s Bhatkal coordinated CT operation led by NIA and Karnataka Police.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) also arrested one of Badri’s key associates, Ameen Zuhaib.
Badri was on the radar of central agencies since April 2020 due to his active role in production and dissemination of IS propaganda monthly online magazine, ‘Voice of Hind’.
Apart from flaming ISIS propagandas and media activities, he also looked after the logistical support, including procurement of arms and explosives, funding for mujahedeen’s and recruitment. He was in direct contact with Islamic State leaders in Khorasan (Afghanistan) and Syria. He also instigated his cyber contacts to kill kufars (disbelievers), Police Personnel, Journalists etc. and inflecting damage to temples and government properties. Jufri was preparing content for ‘Voice of Hind’ an online portal of ISIS – Khorasan and distributing it among the Muslim youths in a bid to radicalize them.
Now it is to be noted that same ‘Voice of Hind’ has published the morphed beheaded picture of Lord Shiva sending the state government it to panic. Without somebody’s support from local population ISIS would not have identified Shiva idol from Murudeshwar which is far away from Pak and Syria.
Though the investigation is on it is high time for security forces to reach the root of organizations which are trying to disrupt the communal harmony in the coastal Karnataka.
The ISIS had reached Bhatkal and other parts of Karnataka about 6 years ago. It is the reality and one has to accept it. Now the question is how to nip in the bud before the communal fire engulfs the entire coastal in the state.
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