Terrorism generally has been perpetuated via sleeper cells. Nevertheless, these groups spreading terrorism had a pattern and similar ideologue to carry attacks. However, combat against terrorism has taken new forms and formats owing to its evolution. With the recent advent of ISIS, terrorism has acquired an undetectable structure.
ISIS has been instrumental in polluting and polarizing radicalized minds out of their traditional bastions from Syria and Iraq. Their tentacles have out reached almost every nation in the Middle East and it has even broken into Europe. The threat of ISIS internalizing in India was real owing to its proximity to Afghanistan and Pakistan whom the ISIS virus has already infected. ISIS flags had been shown in Kashmir during protests. Indications were strong of ISIS entering India owing to its climate of good radicalizing pastures.
Republic TV began its television debut in much pomp and splendor. Within a week, it has garnered more TRPs than any other news channel and was very much anticipated to begin with a bang. Political biggies were exposed with Lalu talking to the mafia and Shashi Tharoor completely decimated by the revelations. Arnab also exposed corrupt practices of AAP and ran a story on how the Azaadi brigade works for the LET and gets paid for the same. Based in Mumbai and away from the Lutyen circuit in Delhi, Republic is instrumental in bringing this glittering wave of new age investigative journalism.
Republic TV exposed sleeper ISIS networks in India which has taken the nation by storm.
Arnab Goswami has come up with another expose in the form of a three-episode story on ISIS ring in India.
The first part basically catered to recruitment and connection to ISIS global module. The second part was about incorporation of the Kashmir angle and the third concluding part was about the political support that is facilitated to it.
In a sting operation by Republic’s journalist Prema Sridevi, the big ISIS ring was unraveled with ISIS recruits blabbering in front of the spy cam about its overall operations and structure here in the country. Some disturbing facts were revealed from the footage. ISIS now operates in India and its existence does not paramount to speculation but can be rendered as a fact. The recruits are hard toned radicalized youths who owe an allegiance to the ISIS founder and they are eager to impose sharia law in the country. The youths also described how recruitment was made, which route was undertaken (Turkey-Afghanistan) and how they are supposedly in touch with over 100 ISIS fighters and support groups. They also emphasized how youths from other states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu and so on are radicalized and sent to Syria. The Indian recruits were a part of a sleeper cell but they were in touch with the global ISIS module from Syria.
Another scary aspect of the tapes was about conversation with one individual which dealt with information about use of Facebook as a platform for ISIS fighters to converge. The most hard hitting point highlighted were those Maulvis who facilitated these elements and inspired them to join ISIS. They also continue to provide patronage to them.
The glaring after shock of these exposes is realization of the fact that due to appeasement polity, the impending danger of ISIS threat was overlooked. This one factor of a pattern is common with other forms of terror as the system was very laxed in believing ISIS network in India was minimal. Despite these exposes, somebody like Owaisi has still pledged to provide legal aid to these men and has not changed his opinion regarding the same. After these tapes were aired, Telangana police for the next 36 hours failed to detain these men in Hyderabad. Perhaps after Modi govt intervention, the police finally apprehended three men. Unfortunately, they were let off citing lack of evidence by the Telangana Police. This unmasks the sorry relaxed attitude to a seemingly global problem which now have entered our doorsteps. The mindset of not taking these elements seriously in spite of the expose continues unabashed and this is a sign of worry.
Nevertheless, the best part of such coverage by the Republic has opened doors for a nationalist competitiveness amongst some news channels. This certainly has helped in exposing more terror links. This slug fest between the channels will benefit the masses as the era of biased news reporting will be side-lined.
As a matter of fact, whilst this story was making the rounds on the Republic, India Today was running a story which established separatists (Hurriyat) were linked and funded by Pakistani ISI network. This muscular approach somewhere will invariably help in breaking the shackles of the Lutyen style of reporting that had mired Indian media.
As the Republic garners maximum viewership, like ISIS tapes, more skeletons will be dug out to open innumerable Pandora’s boxes and new found can of worms. The nation wants to know and is waiting with a bated breath.