Browsing of IS propaganda high in Assam, say police

Assam DGP Khagen Sarma said on Tuesday that Islamic State (IS) propaganda posts and contents on digital media and internet are being increasingly shared and viewed in Assam.

He also said that the Central intelligence agency has warned the state police that the rate of access of IS content in Assam is amongst the highest in the country.

While addressing mediapersons at the police headquarters in Guwahati, Sarma further added that this trend corresponds to the growth of jihadi groups in Assam.

Sarma further added that a national survey by an intelligence agency showed the second largest volume of internet traffic related to IS was from Assam after Jammu and Kashmir.  In fact, the Assam Police had taken the matter seriously and is looking into it with the help of inputs from National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).

“Many people have visited IS websites through Internet and the hits recorded by these websites indicate that it is more than curiosity. It is on the higher side like in Jammu and Kashmir or in Andhra Pradesh. On our own, we do not  have the expertise and equipment to monitor this but the NTRO is monitoring all these developments,” the DGP said.

 Meanwhile Sources in Assam CID has confirmed to Deccan Herald that Guwahati is among the top five Indian cities in terms of Internet access to IS content.

The trend in Guwahati is slightly different from rest of the country. Internet users from urban areas in Assam are accessing more IS material on the internet.

The DGP also revealed that there has been enormous growth of Islamic jihadi modules in the state. In past few months as many as 24 terror suspects have been arrested in the state along with 24 rifles.

Following a rise in jihadi activities, Assam Police is worried about international terrorist outfits like the IS making inroads into the state, another  senior police official said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the DGP further informed that religious fundamentalists active across the country are trying to create a communal flare up in Assam.
DH News Service