No specific threat of IS strike in India: Govt

There are no specific inputs about the Islamic State (IS) planning attacks in India, but the Centre is not ruling out the possibility of the dreaded outfit “piggybacking” on terrorist groups operating here to sponsor mayhem in the country.

After an analysis of the threat perception by top security officials here following the deadly attacks in Paris last week, the Union Home Ministry believes that the IS has “not been able” to establish “any significant presence” in India.

However, they feel that the latest terror strike in France “clearly indicates” its intentions to “expand the arc of high profile terror actions beyond the core areas of Iraq and Syria”. The IS controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria though it has lost control in several areas following renewed attacks by an international coalition on its assets.

A top Home Ministry official said though the IS is a global threat, but it has “no traction in India” as of now. “The IS has no functioning unit in India. We have to check whether there is anything specific and any potential in the future. At present, there is no specific input about them attacking India,” the official said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “The IS is not a threat for any particular country but for the entire world. India is alert about the IS.” The government is leaving nothing to chance and keeping a close watch on the security situation in the country. It has sent an alert to states saying it is necessary that the security establishment be kept on high alert to prevent any untoward incident.

“Though the IS has not been able to establish any significant presence in India, its success in radicalising some youth, attracting certain sections of the local population/Indian diaspora to physically participate in its activities or the possibility of piggybacking on terrorist groups operating in India have opened up the possibility of IS sponsored terrorist action on Indian territory,” the ministry's letter to the states said.
The Ministry has asked the states to take suitable preventive measures near foreign missions, tourist spots and community facilities frequented by foreigners. Specifically, the letter said, the security arrangement for diplomatic interests of France, the US, the UK, Germany, Russia, Australia, Turkey and Israel may be "particularly reviewed and strengthened".

The states have been asked to review available intelligence about the IS’s activities to “identify plans, targets, areas vulnerable to attack by the IS and appropriate action taken to neutralise potential threats, if any”. According to the official, India already has a security system in place against terrorism for over three decades. “We are improving this system constantly. The question before us is whether the IS reached a stage where it can breach our security. As of now, they have little presence here.”