Only small number of Indian youth joins ISIS: Govt

PTI NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 Attracted by information being disseminated in the cyber space, a small number of Indian youth have left the country to join ISIS, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. In reply to a question, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said it is seen that the attraction of youth towards ISIS is mainly on account of information being disseminated in the cyber space. Chaudhary said the government is closely monitoring the situation and has directed the intelligence agencies to identify such elements and keep a watch on their activities.“The cyber-space is also being closely scanned in this regard. The National Investigation Agency has also registered a criminal case for investigating the entire gamut of Indian youth joining the ISIS and has arrested one person in this regard till now,” he said. Arif Majeed, the youth from Mumbai suburb Kalyan, was arrested after his return from the Islamic State. However, three of his friends, who went along with him to join ISIS, are yet to return. Mehdi Mehboob Biswas, a Bengaluru-based executive of ITC foods was arrested last week, for allegedly running a Twitter account supporting the ISIS. Replying to another question, the Minister said there is no report of any attempt by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan to set up bases in India. He said Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan - Jamaatul Ahrar had claimed responsibility for suicide attack on the Pakistani side of the Wagah border on November 2, 2014. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is believed to be involved in the killing of 141 people, mostly children, in horrendous terror attack at a school in Pakistan’s Peshawar city yesterday. Chaudhary said the terror organisation and its all other factions are considered to be hostile to Indian interests and believed to maintain links with al Qaeda and AQIS. Some Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan commanders have also declared allegiance to the Amir of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Replying to another question, the Minister said, various arrested terrorists told investigating agencies that Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) is promoting terror activities in India by providing shelter, patronage and funding to terrorists of all hues. Chaudhary said a video was uploaded on September 3, 2014 containing the speech of Al-Zawahiri of al Qaeda in which he had announced the establishment of a new wing of the outfit called ‘al Qaeda in Indian sub-continent’. It is learnt that Asim Umar and Usama Mehmood have been appointed as the ‘Amir’ and spokesperson respectively of AQIS, he said. Bill in RS to provide for death penalty for hijackers PTI NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 A bill seeking stringent punishment including death penalty for hijackers and giving right to security forces to shoot down an aircraft, which may be used as a missile, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill 2014 was introduced by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju after he withdrew a similar bill of 2010 amid din over demand for reply by PM to debate on rising incidents of communal violence. The new legislation to amend the anti-hijack law has been brought to incorporate latest global treaties like the Beijing Protocol, 2010 of the UN body International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which have been signed and ratified by India. The protocol, which provides for stringent measures to deal with civilian aircraft being used as a weapon of mass destruction by terrorists, was brought about after incidents like the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999 and the September 11, 2001 terror strikes in the United States. The earlier bill, which has now been withdrawn, did not contain such stringent measures to deal with hijacking as the Beijing Protocol and other global agreements came later. The Anti-Hijacking Act 1982, which is now sought to be amended, provides for imprisonment for life and fine for the offence of hijacking. The erstwhile UPA government had last year decided to withdraw the 2010 bill and incorporate the fresh changes and bring a new legislation to amend the 1982 law. Besides death penalty for hijackers, the proposed law would give teeth to concerned agencies and security forces to immobilise an aircraft and allow the Indian Air Force to scramble its fighters to intercept a hijacked aircraft and force it to land. A hostile plane could also be shot down if there is evidence that it could be used as a missile to hit a vital installation. The legislation provides that anyone, alone or in concert with others, who commit acts like seizure or control of an aircraft by force or any form of intimidation would be deemed to have committed the offence of hijacking. It also proposes to give powers to the agencies and forces for stern action against those making phone calls and doling out hoax threats, they said.