T K Singh
Both the 277 and 22 pages chargesheets filed against Indiam Mujahideen (IM) senior operative Ahmad Zarar Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal alias Imran and his three other associates, Asadullah Akhtar aka Haddi, Manzer Imam aka Jameel and Ujjair Ahmed aka Ozair Ahmed by the National Investigation Agency or NIA (20 February 2014) and Delhi Police (24 February 2014) educate a new paradigm of its functioning in India, a new lesson for security establishment. The chargesheets opened the outfit’s secret pandora box including information on the early origin of the outfit, its latest modus operandi, intricate networks and global achievement which perhaps kept obscure so far.
IM came into national attention in the year 2007 when it claimed for the serial bomb blasts occurred on 23 November 2007 in Uttar Pradesh, through e-mail IDs, guru_boys2000@ yahoo.com and guru_alhindi@ yahoo. fr carrying the outfit name, “Indian Mujahedeen” originated from East Delhi. However, by then, many believe that it could be a diversion tactic of infamous potent outfit like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) using fictitious name. As a result and based on this theory, Indian sleuths were heedlessly following after LeT. Nonetheless, after having repeated claims by the IM itself in consequent terror attacks, and continuous investigation carried out by security establishments, the existence of the group was later confirmed. Subsequently, on 04 June 2010 it was included in the 36 banned outfits list of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
While the group has no exact date of establishment or observed Rising Day (as other terror outfit normally does), one of the NIA documents in July 2013 suggested that it was formed in 2003 by few radicalised members of Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) against the 2002 Gujarat riots. But in contrast to the previous report, the current chargesheet provided clues about the emergence of the outfit in December 2001 by opening first link in Darbhanga (Bihar), approx. 50 Km from Indo-Nepal border. (Significantly, it was in December 2001 that the Indian Parliament was attacked by Jaish-e-Mohammed or JeM.) Later this module became a deadliest unit that involved in series of terror attacks in India. Darbhanga network was possibly controlled by Fasih Mahmood, a close aide of Yasin Bhatkal and founding member of IM who afterward arrested in Saudi Arabia and deported to India in 2012. Both Yasin and Fasih used to meet at the former’s perfume shop, Almohtasham, a hub and an indoctrinating centre located at a coastal area near Noor Masjid, Bhatkal town, Udupi district, Karnataka. This shop was also famous for the students of Anjuman Engineering College where Fasih also studied. In 2002, Yasin visited Darbhanga (Bihar) as invited by Fasih and stay for quite some time, which analytically indicates that his link with Nepal border areas (where he was arrested) is not recent.
Interestingly, the Delhi Police charge-sheet that filed soon after the NIA’s suggested that every material that are required to make explosives are locally available in general tool or metal warehouse, scientific store, chemical shop and welding workshop. The outfit normally collected explosive components such as sodium chloride, ammonium nitrate, RDX, potassium nitrate, ferric chloride, aluminium powder, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, components of improvised explosive device (IED) and potassium nitrate mixed with oil from wholesale outlets in Delhi. They are easily obtainable in different parts of Delhi such as Esplanade Road, Pai Walan, Jama Masjid, Tilak Bazar, Hauz Qazi, Ajmeri Gate, Sitaram Bazar, Anand Parbat and Lajpat Rai Market. Indisputably, the use of such materials were noticed in various IM earlier bomb attacks in Dilsukhnagar and Hyderabad (2013), Mumbai (2011), Sheetla Ghat (2010), Jama Masjid, Chinnaswami Stadium, German Bakery (2010), Ahmedabad, Surat, Delhi, Jaipur (2008), Hyderabad, Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad (2007).
As the security is being tightened in such stores and outlets by introducing new government rules and stringent policies, IM has shifted its strategy from assembling bombs and triggering them to fidayeen attack using sophisticated assault rifles. The NIA chargesheet revealed that the group, for the first time was planning to carry out 26/11 like fidayeen attacks with specific targets on security personnel and political figures. Asadullah Akhtar, who was arrested with Yasin from Raxaul, Bihar (Indo-Nepal border) on 29 August 2013 was trying to procure lethal guns and grenades for this purpose. IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal and Yasin had discussed about the tactic of fidayeen attack in higher level, and even expressed that they are impressed with the significant ambush (fidayeen attack) of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) which took 27 lives including political Congress leaders in Darbha Valley, Chattisgarh on 25 May 2013.
Revamping its new strategies, IM intended to expand its networks globally in connection with Al-Qaeda and maintained ties with Pakistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban.
Consequently, Riyaz Bhatkal visited the tribal belts of Pak-Afghan border and held meetings with Al-Qaeda operatives to take specific tasks and get training for IM cadres. In fact, Bada Sajid who involved in Batla House encounter (New Delhi, 2008) is said to be currently fighting in Pak-Afghan border areas. It also emphasised that even in India, IM operative in Uttar Pradesh has been running terror module of Al-Qaeda with an objective to target Jews and bargain for Pakistani associate captured in United States.
In addition, the chargesheet disclosed that in a mega operational plan, Yasin was directed by Riyaz to prepare for missile attack in major Indian cities and especially nuclear warhead attacks in Surat, Gujarat. Riyaz has been trying to procure missiles from Afghanistan and nuclear warheads from Pakistan. Not only from these two nations, by extending its network toward East Asia, he subsequently made efforts to obtain lethal arms and ammunitions from Thailand. He also met one senior veteran Myanmarese national, who worked with Taliban Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden to help him in searching illegal arms factories in Thailand. Interestingly, the main reason for IM to look toward the East may be because the group is now deteriorating relationship with Pakistani supporters including Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). Blaming ISI for being against Jihadi ideology, and fed up with its control over the outfit activities, IM leaders detached affiliation with the agency and claimed that it will no more act like ISI puppet LeT. Apart from United Arab Emirates being a strong base/hideout, IM also tried to establish shelters in Tibet and Azerbaizan.
Understanding the growing extensive networks of IM and considering its long survival since December 2001, it may not be so easy for security establishment to dismantle the group in near future, though the process has already begun by arresting few top leaders. With its latest strategy of fidayeen attack and the efforts made to procure sophisticated weapons from different countries including Afghanistan or Thailand, 26/11 or Darba Valley like attacks may not be ruled out. But the question is, and as IM cadres are also waiting for its retaliation, should it be on the commemoration day of Yasin’s arrest i.e 29 August of the current year. Only time can prove to such hypothetical query.
(The author is an Assistant Professor at the Department of National Security Studies at the Central University of Jammu)
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