Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has sprung up in the Madrassas situated in riverine areas in Assam: State BJP.
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said several Jihadi modules affiliated to Al Qaeda in Indian Sub Continent (AQIS) and some other Islamist terrorist organisations are currently active in the state. Talking about the recent arrest of 5 Islamist terrorists in Assam, CM Dr Sarma said the arrest of the mastermind of the Jihadi network in the state was a big success for the police. "We have formed a special cell of Assam police who is taking care of the Islamist Jihadi network. We need to work more vigilantly to crack all the modules active in the state," he added.
Assam Police on Friday night nabbed five Islamic terrorists linked with Bangladesh-based radical Islamic group, Ansar Al-Islam, which is known to be the Bangladesh chapter of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), in different parts of Barpeta district in lower Assam.
Arrested Saiful Islam alias Harun Rashid alias Mohammad Suman is a Bangladeshi citizen and was working in radicalising the Muslim youth and spreading Islamist terror network in Assam. Four others, Khairul Islam (27), Badshah Suleiman Khan (28) and Noushad Ali (40) and Taimur Rahman Khan (54), was also arrested by police on Friday.
Assam state BJP on Monday said on the line of international terrorist platform 'Hakkani Network', an Islamic militant outfit Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent(AQIS) has sprung up in the Madrassas situated in char-chapori(riverine) areas in Assam in the form of a sleeper cell. In the past couple of years, this process has been going on in a fast-paced manner.
State BJP spokespersons Ranjib Kumar Sharma and Mominul Awal said the latest arrests by Assam police had exposed the wide network of the extremist outfit in the majority of the madrassas in the char- chapori areas of the state. They also raised aspersions that many of the private madrassas are indulging in anti-national activities in recent times. They urged the administration to keep a close watch on whether education is being imparted on those private madrassas on the lines of government madrassas.
It is very shocking that in these private madrassas of the state majority of the students are not aware of Mahapurush Sankardeva, Madhabdev and Lachit Borphukan, the spokespersons added. However, in these so-called unregulated madrassas, under the garb of religion, the students are being taught about the notorious extremist groups based in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon, which will mislead the young students and create unrest in society, the spokespersons added.
Making a scathing criticism of the Congress, AIUDF and AMSU, the spokespersons said that these political parties who have been appeasing the minorities have never raised any voice or taken any initiative against the widespread militant network in the riverine areas. The party spokesmen alleged that Congress, AIUDF and AMSU have always been working in tandem with the Islamic extremist organisations. They further alleged the Congress MP from Barpeta Abdul Khaleque, who expressed his desire to sacrifice his life for the Rohingyas, has maintained a stony silence on the issue. The spokespersons said AQUIS has been working to create the Khalifa state encompassing Cox Bazar and Dhaka city of Bangladesh, eastern India, Nepal's Torai areas in Myanmar's Rohingya and North East region of India.
Spokesperson Ranjib Kumar Sharma further said the way Haqqani Network is at work to spread Islamic extremism across the globe, AQUIS is also working steadfastly using the madrassa to set up sleeper cells in Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and other states, along with Myanmar and Nepal. The incident that took place at Barpeta's Chakaliyapara madrasa is a classic example of this, Sharma added.
