IM shifting focus from blasts to assassinations?

From explosions to assassinations -- this is something that has been revealed during the interrogation of various Indian Mujahideen operatives who have been arrested over the past couple of months. Vicky Nanjappa reports.

There have been nearly a dozen arrests of Im activists in the past six months, and what is common during the probe, is that each one has revealed at least one plot which involves an assassination.

Imran, Soofa, Mohammad Abrar Khan, Aqeel Khilji and Mohammed Zaffar Hussain Qureshi, all operatives of the IM are alleged to have revealed at least one plan to assassinate high-profile personalities.

If recent police reports are to be believed, the IM has been trying to put in a lot of its resources mainly into assassinations when compared with blasts across the country.

Imran and Soofa were one of the first few operatives to reveal their plans regarding such a plot. The police say that they had planned on killing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and even claimed that they were funded by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

The interrogation of Mohammad Abrar Khan revealed that the IM was planning on assassinating the judges who delivered the verdict in the Ayodhya case. The judges have always been on the hit list and the police have always ensured that security around them has always been very tight.

The Babri issue has been used for major recruitments across Asia by terrorist organisations.

The interrogation of Aqeel Khilji and Mohammed Zaffar Hussain Qureshi revealed that they were not only attempting the assassination of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, but also a few other RSS leaders.

The IM has always have claimed to be the saviours of Islam through emails after an attack, and they believe that the leaders mentioned above pose a danger to their religion.

They also believe that some of these leaders have been directly responsible inciting tension against members of their community and hence assassinating them would go a long way in their fight.

The IM has off late been facing a recruitment crisis. Recruitments into such terror outfits are largely dependant on the issues they espouse and also the type of operations that they undertake.

The blasts which have taken place recently have not managed to create a big impact and many possible new recruits may have shied away from joining the group. The manner in which some have been brainwashed have made them question the impact of the operation and they feel that unless there is something very big planned they would not like to be part of the group.

Moreover, they also feel that getting killed or arrested for small operations has not been worthwhile.

During questioning these operatives have consistently named Riyaz Bhatkal, stating that he wanted the IM to take up assassinations in a big way. However, there is nothing to show that Riyaz has been managing the IM off-late as he has already fled the country.

These appear to be coordinated by the local modules in India and there are many small groups of the IM who have been trying to come together and stage a major operation, IB sources point out.

Sources say that targetting the big leaders in the RSS or similar organisations may not be an easy job as it requires a great deal of planning and precision, something that the IM lacks at the moment. However, they would try and get as close as possible and at least create a shake up which would go a long way in conveying a message.

The IB points out that one cannot take the IM lightly as they appear to be down at the moment. They are known for their patience and are capable of planning an operation for many years before even trying to execute it.