“In the last few years, Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, has become [an] epicentre of terror activities. It has been proved through many arrests and sleeper terror cells busted by investigative agencies in the city.”Tejasvi Surya | MP Bengaluru South.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya describing Bengaluru as an epicentre of terror activities, while demanding a permanent National Investigation Agency (NIA) branch in Bengaluru, has kicked off a controversy with the Opposition demanding his resignation.
Adding insult to injury, just a day after Tejasvi Surya made the request, Ministry of Home Affairs approved the setting up three new NIA offices and Bengaluru didn’t figure in the list. According to MHA, the new office in south India will be Chennai and it will focus on Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
So why, unlike the young MP, does the MHA feel that Bengaluru or Karnataka is not their biggest concern in south India?
Terror Hub? Here Is MHA's View
In the monsoon session of Parliament, answering a question raised by BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe regarding ‘reports of the presence of Islamic terrorists in southern states of India’, Ministry of Home Affairs said: “Some instances of individuals from different States, including the Southern States, having joined Islamic State (IS) have come to the notice of Central and State Security Agencies.”
Terror cases related to IS have been one of the biggest security threats in recent times and according to its statement, NIA has registered 17 cases related to the presence of IS in the southern states of Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
“Investigations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have revealed that IS is most active in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir,” read the MHA statement in Rajya Sabha without specifying any single state as an epicentre.
What Does Govt Data Say?
Apart from the statement above, MHA did not release any statistics in Rajya Sabha. However, in October 2019, NIA IG Alok Mittal had announced that the largest number of Islamic State sympathisers were arrested from Tamil Nadu.
In 2019, The National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed to have arrested 127 IS sympathisers from across India between 2014 and 2019. The highest number from a single state was 33, from Tamil Nadu.
As per the list, Uttar Pradesh was at #2, from where 19 IS sympathisers were arrested, followed by 17 from Kerala, 14 from Telangana and 12 from Maharashtra. Karnataka figured sixth in the list with eight arrests.
What Do Experts Say?
A former Karnataka IPS officer who served as the state intelligence chief told The Quint that compared to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, terror-related activities are not at an alarming level in Karnataka.
“If you look at terror cases in Bengaluru, except for the attack on Indian Institute of Science, there haven’t any serious terror attacks. This shows that anti-terror operations have been effective. Recently, Islamic state related cases have been our biggest concern, but even there Karnataka is behind its neighbours (in the number of cases).“Former Karnataka State Intelligence Chief
A serving Karnataka state police officer also rebutted Tejasvi Surya’s claim, and on the condition of anonymity said that in terror-related matters intelligence plays a more important role.
“He (Tejasvi Surya) made the statement demanding an NIA branch in the state. NIA is an investigative agency. To prevent terror attacks you need a strong intelligence network. The state has a good presence of central and state intelligence units, which have played crucial roles in ensuring Bengaluru and Karnataka don’t become hubs of terror. A look at the cases cracked in the recent past would prove this point,” he said.
Case Cited By Tejasvi Is Still Under Investigation
Tejasvi Surya claimed many terrorist organisations were using Bengaluru as an “incubation centre” for carrying out “anti-India activities”, citing the August 11 violence in the Bengaluru suburb DJ Halli. The violence started over an allegedly derogatory Facebook post about Prophet Muhammad by a relative of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy.
When The Quint spoke with senior police officers in Bengaluru, they said that case was still under investigation and it is not possible to confirm the connection of any terror groups with the violence. “The investigation by Bengaluru police is in its initial stages and just a week back the case has been handed over the NIA. Only when they file a charge sheet can we conclusively talk about the nature of the case,” said an officer.
Tejasvi Surya’s statement pushes an agenda at the cost of the city’s reputation, said Sowmya Reddy, MLA from Jayanagar in South Bengaluru. “Such a statement could have an impact on investment that comes into the city. Also, the incident he is referring to happened when the BJP is in power at the centre and in the state. This incident was an intelligence failure from the government's part. Yes, the incident should be investigated but making such baseless irresponsible statements impacts the hard work of the people who made Bengaluru the silicon valley of India,” she said .
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