India’s intelligence agencies have warned about the efforts of banned extremist groups like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) to establish covert operational bases in India. These organizations are exploiting recent political leniency under Muhammad Yunus’s government in Bangladesh and the shared religious and linguistic connections along the Indo-Bangladeshi border, particularly in West Bengal, Assam, and other eastern states. This strategy enables them to blend into Bengali-speaking communities, aiding their plans for terrorist activities.
JMB seeks to impose Sharia law through violence, while ABT, linked to Al-Qaeda, is notorious for targeting secular individuals. Other active groups include Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Neo-JMB, and Allah’r Dal.
India footprint of Bangladeshi extremists: overview
Intelligence assessments reveal that organizations like JMB and ABT have reactivated sleeper cells in Indian states such as Assam, West Bengal, and parts of South India. These operatives integrate into low-profile sectors, including slaughterhouses and textile manufacturing, primarily funding their activities through madrassas to avoid traditional financing methods. The combination of porous borders and extensive ethnic intermingling enables these networks to operate undetected. They are connected with significant terrorist incidents, such as the 2005 bombings in Bangladesh, the 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery siege, and the 2018 Bodh Gaya blasts.
Jihadists’ aggressive push towards India
ABT-linked radical cleric Mufti Mahmodul Hasan Zubayer is reportedly under investigation following his entry into India through West Bengal. Authorities are allegedly scrutinizing his activities, including visits to various Islamic institutions, with reports of his presence in religious centers in Delhi and possibly at Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. Zubayer is suspected of helping terrorists and inciting anti-India sentiments in the past, particularly on social media, by advocating for the boycott of Indian products and the separation of north-eastern states.
In relation to the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), India has become a refuge for its operatives and a hub for recruitment via madrasas, mosques, and social media. The JMB is particularly active in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, Malda, and Nadia districts, as well as in Assam. The organization has effectively established a presence in India through cross-border matrimonial alliances. Reports state, their activities extend to southern India and Jammu and Kashmir as well, with approximately 50 JMB modules currently operating across the country.
Anti-India propaganda in cyberspace: Bangladesh chapter
During the CAA/NRC protests, social media portrayed the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens as a plot by Hindu nationalists to disenfranchise Indian Muslims. Accounts linked to ABT shared hashtags like #MuslimsUnderAttack, #FreeIndianMuslims, #HindutvaTerror, and #MuslimUmmahUnderAttack, often featuring manipulated images and false quotes criticizing the Indian government.
Extremist networks in Bangladesh significantly amplified misinformation and unverified videos during the Delhi riots, using platforms such as Twitter (X), Facebook, and WhatsApp to incite calls for “jihad” and promote hashtags like #HindutvaTerror. These groups depicted India’s secular Muslims as “complacent” or “betrayed,” aiming to provoke radical responses. Before its ban in India, TikTok and Instagram showcased reels and videos of sermons and impassioned speeches addressing issues faced by Indian Muslims.
Intelligence reports also highlight the use of encrypted messaging apps like Element and Threema for sharing anti-India content tailored for Indian audiences, including the glorification of jihad and criticism of Indian policies.
In 2023, ABT misrepresented the ethnic violence in Manipur as a coordinated anti-Muslim pogrom, mainly involving the Meitei and Kuki tribes. Extremist groups in Bangladesh are using sensitive socio-religious issues in India to radicalize Indian Muslims and portray the Indian government as hostile to Islam. Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sharma, has expressed concerns about jihadi sleeper cells in Barpeta, Bongaigaon, and Goalpara districts and confirmed that Assam Police and central intelligence agencies are actively arresting Islamist terror suspects and investigating suspicious madrassas.
ABT’s Jashimuddin Rahmani’s direct threat to India
Jashimuddin Rahmani Hafi, the leader of ABT, has incited considerable outrage in the recent past with a video in which he threatened India. He called on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to “liberate Bengal from Modi’s governance and proclaim its independence.” Allegedly released by Bangladesh’s interim government after Sheikh Hasina’s regime fell, Rahmani used the video to promote separatism and stir communal tensions.
He furthermore referenced the Khalistan movement and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, discussing India’s potential “disintegration” while issuing alarming threats. He declared, “This is a land of 180 million Muslims, our sacred territory. If you dare to look this way, your eyes will be gouged out… Take a step forward, and your legs will be broken… Reach out, and your hands will be severed.” He ominously warned, “The day is approaching when your nation will fracture, and the flags of Tawhid will wave over Delhi.”
Islamic terror groups find support in the new Yunus regime
It is crucial to note that several officials in the current Bangladeshi government, along with various Islamist groups, appear to have expansionist ambitions aimed at incorporating significant areas of Bengal, Assam, and Tripura into Bangladesh. Mahfuz Alam, an advisor to Muhammad Yunus, is reportedly associated with the terrorist group Hizb Ut-Tahrir (HuT). He recently posted a controversial map on social media that depicted Bangladesh as including large parts of Bengal, Assam, and other north-eastern Indian states. In his post, he accused India of having “contained” Bangladesh.
China and Pakistan’s role in the Indo-Bangla tensions over rising extremism
Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of ISI backed Jamaat-e-Islami BD, played a key role in converting protests against Sheikh Hasina’s government into a targeted program to establish a regime favourable to Pakistan and China. The movement had received a considerable amount of financial support from China and Pakistan; and believed to have originated from Chinese entities operating in Pakistan. With the help of ISI and its supported Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), ICS members are undergoing training in Afghanistan and Pakistan with ultimate objective of Jamaat or ICS is to establish a Taliban-type government in BD.
The jihadist organisations have to play a greater role in achieving this target. The ISI has assured these groups of all the support. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is seeking to establish its presence in some strategic areas of Bangladesh, a move that could be detrimental to India’s security interests. During the recent visit of ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik to Dhaka, he discussed the possibility of ISI’s presence in Cox’s Bazar, Ukhia, Teknaf, Moulvibazar, Habiganj and Sherpur. Prior to the formation of Bangladesh in 1971, the Pakistan army had presence in these strategic areas, which were then part of East Pakistan. This had created challenges for India as the Pakistan army gave support to insurgent groups active in north-eastern states like Nagaland and Mizoram.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Muhammad Yunus, has invited China to play a “stabilizing role” in India’s North-East, particularly concerning the Seven Sister States. This diplomatic move has raised concerns about potential Chinese influence in the region due to its strategic importance and proximity to China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Extremist organizations in Bangladesh have long engaged in anti-India propaganda on social media, aiming to radicalize Indian citizens. The recent government change in Bangladesh has intensified India’s security apprehensions. As the internet becomes a primary platform for extremist groups, there is a need to enhance counter-terrorism measures in the digital realm.
