New Delhi: Indian intelligence agencies have stepped up alert levels and also cautioned the concerned state governments on possible terror strikes in the south. They pointed fingure towards Tamil Nadu gradually getting on to the radar of terror networks controlled by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) and the Indian Mujahideen (IM). The strident protests against Kamal Haasan’s movie, Vishwaroopam by a group of Muslim outfits has come as the latest warning signal. Dispatch News Desk reports.
“Even during the planning of the July 2008 serial blasts in Bengaluru, the LeT had wanted to include Tamil Nadu on its radar but there were logistical problems for its operatives at that time. But since then, their allies in the southern state have tested their strength a few times. They grew bolder each time”, said a senior officer under condition of anonymity.
Referring to the Vishwaroopam episode, the official pointed out that the protests were mostly in Tamil Nadu whereas the movie ran almost unhindered in all the neighbouring states. “Tamil Nadu has less than six per cent Muslim population while there are 26 per cent Muslims in Kerala, 14 per cent in Karnataka and 12 per cent in Andhra Pradesh.
“We are not really concerned much about these visible expressions of hard dissent but what worries us is the possible happenings under the shadows”, he added.
The official noted that some of the known faces in the Muslim confederation that took on Kamal Haasan and had earlier led violent demonstration against the US consulate in Chennai were ex-members of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which was banned in 2001 for being anti-national. The official blammed that Pakistani ISI set up the Indian Mujahideen (IM) to fill the void and IM footprints have been found in the Benagluru and Hyderabad blasts. “The Madurai Meenakshi temple has been upgraded now to ‘A’ level security cover. There are also some other sensitive spots”, he said.
