In a significant counter-terrorism operation, the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF) has dismantled a critical module of the banned militant outfit Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK). The crackdown led to the arrest of 11 alleged operatives, exposing a network with deep roots across state borders and connections to Bangladesh-based extremist groups.
Operation Details and Cross-Border Links
The coordinated raids, which began late on Monday night, resulted in the apprehension of ten individuals from various locations in Assam and one from the neighbouring state of Tripura. Investigators revealed that the IMK, an offshoot of the proscribed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) formed in 2018, saw a strategic opportunity to expand its Indian operations following the August 2024 regime change in Bangladesh. This political shift, which led to the exit of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, prompted directives from top leaders of JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) to activate and grow its modules within India.
STF chief and Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta detailed the operational structure. Bangladeshi nationals Umar and Khalid were tasked with coordinating activities in Assam. The alleged head of the Assam cell was identified as Nasim Uddin alias Tamim from Barpeta Road in Barpeta district, who was among those arrested. The group exploited encrypted social media platforms for radicalisation, recruitment, propaganda dissemination, and fundraising through hawala and UPI channels.
Modus Operandi and Radicalisation Tactics
The investigation uncovered a sophisticated digital propaganda machinery. One key platform used by the group was a social media group named 'Purva Akash', which served as a primary hub for communication and recruiting youths from Assam, West Bengal, and Tripura. Through such channels, IMK propagated an extremist ideology aligned with transnational jihadist organisations, advocating for violent jihad and the armed conquest of India, often referenced as 'Ghazwatul Hind'.
Mahanta stated that the group's founder, Jewel Mahmud alias Imam Mahmud Habibullah alias Sohail, a former JMB member who claims to be the amir of IMK, is the chief ideologue pushing this narrative. Probe findings also indicated that some Assam-based operatives had travelled to Bangladesh earlier this year using valid passports and visas for training and coordination purposes.
Official Response and Legal Action
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma acknowledged the gravity of the threat, stating that fundamentalist elements remain active in Assam. He linked the persistence of the issue to geographical reality, noting, "The issue will remain for long as Bangladesh is Assam's neighbouring country." The state police have slapped multiple charges on the arrested suspects under the BNS, 2023 and the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
This bust highlights the evolving challenge of digital radicalisation and cross-border terror linkages. It underscores the continuous efforts by Assam's security forces to monitor and neutralize modules that seek to exploit socio-political changes in the region to further their extremist agenda.
