New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) On June 9, 2024, Narendra Modi took the oath of office for a historic third term as Prime Minister, following the victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the general elections. During the 2014 campaign, Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, had emphasised on the need to fight terror. In fact, it was a major issue at that time as India was witnessing bomb attacks almost on a daily basis. It was the Indian Mujahideen which carried out one audacious attack after another, and the outfit had become a nightmare for the Indian agencies.

During the campaign, Narendra Modi made it clear that if voted into power, his government would deal with this problem with an iron fist.

On October 27, 2013, over 300,000 people had gathered at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Bihar, for the BJP’s Hunker Rally. 17 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were planted, and the first bomb went off at 9.30 a.m. in a public restroom at the Patna railway station. This was followed by many more bombs going off inside and outside the packed rally grounds. Six people were killed, and over 80 were injured.

Despite the chaos and the dangers, Narendra Modi insisted on going ahead with the rally. He remained calm on the stage and focused on unity while avoiding inflammatory rhetoric. Once voted into power, PM Modi’s biggest challenge was dismantling the Indian Mujahideen and every other homegrown terror outfit.

Officials in security circles say that the dismantling of the Indian Mujahideen was one of India’s most significant counter-terror achievements by any government. It began in late 2013 following the arrest of Indian Mujahideen’s mastermind Yasin Bhatkal. The complete destruction of the outfit took place between 2014 and 2017 under the watch of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

An official said that the PM had said back then that he wanted no politics when it came to terror. He was clear that destroying the Indian Mujahideen would be his immediate top priority. More importantly, he told the officers that they would have a free hand to dismantle this dangerous outfit. It was operational autonomy that finally worked, the official said.

Further, there were targeted amendments that were made to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). This gave the authorities the power to designate individual terror operatives as terrorists instead of just banning their parent organisation. This, in fact, trapped the founders of the Indian Mujahideen, Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal. Their international movement and financial assets could be easily targeted thanks to the amendments made by the Modi government.

The National Investigation Agency played a key role too. They were backed by structural modernisation, which eventually led to a high conviction rate. The captured operatives of the Indian Mujahideen were handed out life or death penalty. Importantly, they could use legal loopholes to escape.

Under PM Modi’s watch, apart from the investigations on the ground, a massive emphasis was given to dismantling the outfit’s financial network. The outfit relied heavily on illicit hawala banking, which was fed by handlers in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Mass actions such as targeting of black and hawala money followed. This severely choked the finances of the Indian Mujahideen. Between 2014 and 2016, the Modi government moved away from reactive to active policing and Intelligence gathering. Thanks to this, the Indian Mujahideen’s primary bases in Azmargarh, Darbhanga and Pune were dismantled.

An official said that there was a time when some of these areas were no-go zones. The Modi government told officials to work without fear and even deployed central agencies to break these networks where governments were non-cooperative. Under PM Modi, there was a major shift in foreign policy. India could now leverage its geopolitical influence to capture terrorists hiding abroad. This led to the deportation of key Indian Mujahideen financial controllers and logistic planners.

With the Indian Mujahideen completely dismantled, the Home Minister banned its radical precursors and ideological safe havens. There was a massive crackdown on outfits such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Popular Front of India (PFI). This cut off the foundational recruitment groups that outfits such as the Indian Mujahideen and others used.

Another official said that the agencies were not chasing only the Indian Mujahideen. All the actions also led to the collapse of homegrown terror outfits in India.

For Pakistan, a homegrown outfit works since blasts can take place in India, and Islamabad has the deniability factor. The crackdown on these terror groups also gave the Pakistanis much to think about, and so far they have not managed to successfully raise a homegrown outfit in India, the official also pointed out.

–IANS

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