Guwahati: Security agencies in Assam are on heightened alert amid growing concerns that jihadi outfits are attempting to establish an organised network in the State, using border vulnerabilities and digital platforms to radicalise, recruit and mobilise youths for extremist activities.

Police sources told  despite periodic arrests of suspected operatives, anti-national forces continue to make concerted efforts to plant roots in Assam and adjoining regions. Intelligence inputs suggest that these groups view Assam-and other states sharing an international border with Bangladesh-as a strategic entry point into India, from where operatives can fan out to other parts of the country.

According to officials, the long-term objective of these organisations is to build sleeper cells and logistical networks capable of carrying out acts of sabotage. “Police and security agencies are on their toes,” a senior source said, adding that Assam Police is working in close coordination with central intelligence agencies to track emerging threats and dismantle networks before they mature.

A major breakthrough in recent months, officials said, came with the identification and disruption of the Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) module, a Bangladesh-based extremist outfit that has allegedly been attempting to expand its footprint in Assam. Acting on intelligence inputs, the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police has arrested at least 11 members linked to the group.

The IMK is described by security agencies as an offshoot of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a proscribed terrorist organisation in India. The group was founded in 2018 by Jewel Mahmud, also known as Imam Mahmud Habibullah or Sohail, a former JMB member who claims to be the “Amir” of IMK. Investigators say the organisation openly propagates the ideology of “Ghazwatul Hind,” a narrative centred on violent jihad in the Indian subcontinent.

Sources revealed that the situation became more volatile following political changes in Bangladesh in August 2024. After the regime change, senior leaders of banned outfits such as JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) are believed to have issued directions to IMK leadership to activate dormant modules and expand their presence in India.

“As part of this strategy, Bangladeshi nationals Umar and Khalid were tasked with coordinating IMK’s activities in Assam,” a police source said. The Assam cell of the organisation was allegedly headed by Nasim Uddin, also known as Tamim, a resident of Barpeta Road.

Investigations have revealed that the group’s operations are largely coordinated through encrypted and secure social media platforms. One such online group, titled Purba Akash, has emerged as a key communication, recruitment and indoctrination channel. Through this platform, individuals based in Assam, West Bengal and Tripura were allegedly radicalised, recruited and financially mobilised.

Police sources said the network included individuals holding Indian passports, some of whom had previously travelled to Bangladesh, as well as known former members of proscribed extremist organisations. The IMK projects itself as a Ghazwatul Hind-centric module and aligns its propaganda closely with the ideology of transnational jihadi outfits.

Officials noted that following the change of government in Bangladesh, cadres of JMB, ABT and AQIS were either released or emboldened, leading to a revival of their ideological influence and cross-border networks. This resurgence, they said, has directly benefited IMK-linked platforms, which act as conduits for extremist messaging in India.

According to the police, IMK systematically disseminates propaganda advocating violent jihad and the armed conquest of India through digital means. Dedicated websites, online publications and social media accounts are used to circulate ideological material under the banner of Ghazwatul Hind.

Investigators have also recovered radical literature authored by IMK leadership, including titles such as Sarbobhoumo Khamatar Malik Allah and Ghazwatul Hind er Sonkhip-to Alochona. These materials are circulated among cadres and sympathisers through online channels to reinforce extremist beliefs and justify violence.

In Assam, such content was allegedly shared extensively within the encrypted Purba Akash group. Police said the group followed a structured and multi-layered process to radicalise and recruit followers.

“Potential recruits are first identified through online jihadist forums and channels,” a source explained. “They are then fed IMK propaganda in the form of books, lectures and discussions, and monitored in secure groups.”

To formally join the organisation, recruits are required to take a bayat, or pledge of allegiance, to IMK’s Amir, Imam Mahmud Habibullah. The process is said to be highly controlled and ritualised. Each recruit must submit personal details and identity proof on a prescribed form and then record a video of the oath.

This oath video is first sent to an “Indian Zimmedar” or responsible cadre, who forwards it to the Amir in Bangladesh for verification and acceptance. Only after this authentication process are recruits formally inducted into the organisation.

Police said this method has led to the radicalisation of several youths in Assam, particularly in Barpeta and Chirang districts, as well as in parts of West Bengal. Officials warned that the emphasis on secrecy and loyalty makes detection more difficult at early stages.

Promotional | North East Integration Rally