Year-ender 2024: Shadow of fear!

Rising jihadi influence in Bangladesh poses a serious security threat to India, with terrorist groups openly targeting the Northeast. Despite efforts by Indian forces, cross-border terrorism and infiltrations remain ongoing challenges.

A new and serious threat to Assam and West Bengal has emerged in 2024 following the change of government in Bangladesh, as the jihadi elements are gaining the upper hand. In fact, the new regime in the neighbouring country has set free jailed members of terrorist outfits. The situation has now reached a point where terrorist leaders can openly issue threats to India from Bangladeshi soil, raising questions about how a government headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammed Yunus can allow such activities.

It is a fact that terrorist groups with bases in Bangladesh have been trying to establish roots in India for quite some time. In the last couple of years, police and security forces have managed to arrest around 60 members of such terrorist outfits. However, until July this year, the Sheikh Hasina-led government in Bangladesh had tried its best to keep terrorist activities under control, with several terrorists being jailed. Bangladesh also shared intelligence inputs with India about the movements of terrorists.

But on August 5, Sheikh Hasina fled the country and sought refuge in India, while a new caretaker government headed by Muhammad Yunus took over power in Bangladesh. Unfortunately, immediately after assuming power, the new government released a number of jailed leaders of terrorist outfits, Including Jasimuddin Rahmani, the chief of the Ansar Bangla Team (ABT), which is a wing of Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent.

Immediately after his release from jail, the ABT leader issued a volatile video statement warning India. He stated that if India "looks towards Bangladesh," they would cut off the Chicken's Neck corridor, which connects the Northeast region to the rest of India, with the help of China. He also called upon Muhammad Yunus to transform Bangladesh's economy into an "Islamic economy and to change the national anthem of Bangladesh, written by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore.

As the Bangladeshi government is allowing individuals to issue such statements openly, the stance of the current regime in the neighbouring country becomes quite clear. It is also reported that the ABT is planning to train some Rohingyas to sneak into India and engage in acts of violence. Moreover, available inputs suggest that Pakistan has started sending aid to Bangladesh by ship. Since the ship was not allowed to be inspected by Bangladeshi port authorities, it is evident that some illegal materials were sent to Bangladesh, which are likely to be used against India.

Fortunately, the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police, with assistance from Kerala and West Bengal Police, recently dismantled an ABT network and arrested eight individuals. These ABT operatives had been sent to India to create sleeper cells that could be activated when needed. Upon inspecting the phones seized from the ABT members, it was found that they were in regular contact with their handlers in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

This is undoubtedly a commendable achievement by the STF of Assam Police, and there is every possibility that interrogating the arrested ABT members will yield vital information about the outfit's activities in India. However, the threat is far from over. Although the strength of the Border Security Force (BSF) deployed along the 4,096-kilometre international border has been increased following the regime change in Bangladesh, it is not possible to guard every inch of the border round the clock due to the challenging terrain. Anti-India forces will likely continue attempting to infiltrate India to create disturbances. The police and security forces will need to remain vigilant in the coming days to thwart any such activities by terrorist outfits. Moreover, close monitoring of cyberspace will be essential, as jihadi groups often use it to radicalise youths

In another significant development, the Bangladesh High Court has reduced the death sentence of Paresh Baruah, the chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), to life imprisonment. Baruah was charged in connection with the Chittagong arms haul case in 2004 and had previously been awarded the death penalty. With this recent development, it is evident that the current regime in Bangladesh will adopt a softer approach towards militant groups from the Northeast. At one point, all the major insurgent groups in the region had strong bases in Bangladesh. However, ever, the Sheikh Hasina government had arrested most of the top leaders of these militant groups and handed them over to India, although Paresh Baruah managed to escape at the last moment.

Apart from the threat posed by jihadi elements, the overall lase and order situation in 2024 was more or less under control. However, ULFA(I) caused ripples of concern by planting explosive materials in different parts of the State on Independence Day. Fortunately, the bombs did not explode, and it is believed that, rather than causing harm, the militant outfit merely aimed to make its presence felt through the planted bombs.

By R Dutta Choudhury