Invisible Threat: How Red Fort Blast Exposes India's Hidden Terror Module Crisis

This was one of the major concerns that was raised by the officials as the investigations into the Red Fort blast revealed that the Faridabad module members managed to remain off the radar for nearly three years.

The module was set up and the plan for a series of attacks in and around Delhi was hatched three years back. Since that time, the members of the Faridabad module, led mostly by doctors, had managed to conceal every activity and managed not to come under the scanner of the agencies.

The use of electronic Intelligence can track cross-border activity. However local modules do not have any electronic imprint and hence the Intelligence agencies find it very hard to track such activity. This is the reason why the Faridabad module managed to operate without being tracked.

When it comes to dealing with cross border activity, the agencies are able to pick up information using electronic Intelligence. In the case of the Faridabad module most of the conversations were within the group. The members of the module did keep in touch with some persons in Jammu and Kashmir, but that is not cross border activity.

The Gujarat ATS recently arrested a Hyderabad medical representative. He was cooking up Ricin and was being instructed by a person from Pakistan. His arrest was possible because the agencies were able to put up electronic intercepts from across the border.

Security officials have now decided to focus on unearthing and busting modules from across the country. An official said that one would also need to go the conventional way to bust these unconventional modules. However, at no time the focus can go off Kashmir as the ISI is looking to use the locals from the Valley to recruit across the country.

The Faridabad module case clearly shows that Pakistan is trying to shift the focus out of Jammu and Kashmir for some time and target the hinterland. This calls for a major shift in security planning and more coordination between the multiple agencies that work on cases related to terror.

While busting the modules is important, the agencies have also decided to give more emphasis to busting radicalisation programmes that are largely taking place online. While the agencies have their eyes and ears wide open to the menace, they feel that it is time to take it up a notch.

There are a number of youths who are being radicalised through social media. This is a propaganda by the Islamist terror groups and the need to tackle it with an iron fist is the need of the hour, officials explain.

When it comes to propaganda, terror groups have always laced events with lies and imagination. Not always can the agencies bust such propaganda at source. Hence it has been decided to add more manpower to fact check such information if at all it goes out into the public.

Agency officials say that the propaganda where India is concerned, is largely centred around Muslim victimhood. This is a crucial tool for radicalisation and fact checking such information becomes crucial in the fight against terror. If this is not countered, then the recruitment drives only end up becoming successful, the official added.

- IANS