IS not active in India, says govt

Despite some Indian youth having joined the Islamic State, the government on Wednesday said that there were no intelligence inputs to suggest that the Al Baghdadi-led outfit had become active in the country in connivance with Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said the government was committed to fighting the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

“The interrogation of arrested terrorists by security agencies has revealed that ISI is aiding terror activities in India by providing shelter, training, patronage and financial assistance to terrorists/terror outfits. There are no intelligence reports to indicate that outfits like IS of Baghdadi have become active in the country in connivance with ISI,” he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. Chaudhary admitted that some Indian youth have gone to Iraq and Syria to join the terrorist outfit.

Noting that there is close and effective coordination between intelligence agencies at the Centre and state, he said the Multi Agency Centre has been strengthened and re-organised to enable it to function 24x7 for real-time collation and sharing of intelligence.