Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed top Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police not to arrest or harass anyone for allegations of radicalisation without proof, PTI reported on Sunday. Singh was speaking on the last day of the three-day conference of DGPs and IGPs in Hyderabad.
Singh also asked top police officers to remain alert to any attempts to radicalise youngsters, and directed police officials to strengthen the cyber security apparatus of states.
The home minister also said that the Islamic State group is not a threat to India. “I’m sure the threat of radicalisation by the Islamic State will not be an issue in our nation because people who follow Islam in India, love the country,” ANI quoted him as saying.
At the conference on Friday, Singh had claimed that owing to close coordination between the state and Central forces, Indian youths who were influenced by the Islamic State group via online means, have not been able to successfully carry out any terror attacks in the country. “So far, 67 youths who were influenced by the Islamic State have been arrested while planning to carry out a terror attack,” he had said.
At the conference, the home minister said those NGOs that genuinely participate in public service will not be troubled, however, the NGOs that allegedly try to indulge in anti-national activities will not be spared. The government had on November 15 banned Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s NGO Islamic Research Foundation for its alleged involvement in terror attacks.
In a written reply to a question raised in the Lok Sabha last week, Minister of Home Hansraj Ahir said, “The National Investigation Agency and state security agencies have so far arrested 68 ISIS supporters/sympathisers.”
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