ISIS influenced very few Indian youths; govt monitoring cyber space, minister tells Parliament

New Delhi: The terrorist organisation Islamic State has been able to influence very few Indian youths and security agencies are closely monitoring the situation, including keeping potential recruits under surveillance.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary told Lok Sabha that the government is closely monitoring the situation and has directed the intelligence and security agencies to identify potential recruits and keep them under surveillance.

“The cyber space is being closely monitored in this regard,” he said.

The minister said a few incidents of unfurling of flags of ISIS by some misguided youths were noticed on different occasions in Jammu and Kashmir and some other states in the recent past.

“…state governments concerned have been directed to take appropriate action against such statements as per relevant provisions of law,” he said.

Home Ministry officials had earlier said that 23 youths have joined ISIS of which six were reportedly killed.

Quoting intelligence inputs, officials had said, it emerged that the dreaded terror outfit considered South Asian Muslims, including Indians, inferior to Arab fighters in the conflict zones of Iraq and Syria.

According to an intelligence report prepared by foreign agencies and shared with Indian agencies, fighters from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as certain countries like Nigeria and Sudan are considered not good enough by ISIS and often tricked into suicide attacks.

Around 150 Indians are under surveillance for their alleged online links with ISIS, the officials had said.

PTI