Terror groups investing in Indian stock markets: Shinde

The government has information that terror groups have been investing money in Indian stock markets, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said on Friday.

Asked by reporters about "intelligence information" that Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa is investing money in Indian stock exchanges, the minister said he had spoken at the

Interpol meeting in Rome that the government has "some information" that some terror groups were engaged in such activities.

Shinde, however, said he would not be able to name the groups involved.

"But we have information that a number of (such) elements are investing in stock exchange," he said after addressing a meeting of the Southern Zonal Council.

On fresh violence in Kokrajhar in Assam, Shinde said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had spoken to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, adding that the central government was assisting the state in controlling the situation.

He said the number of people in transit camps in Assam had come down to 24,000 now, from five lakh after the violence earlier this year. "Some elements have to be controlled," Shinde said.

The minister denied that the Centre has issued fresh advisory to the state following renewed violence.

If advisories are issued "now and then", they lose value, he said.

On establishing National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a proposal opposed by some states, he said he would write to all the chief ministers on "the new formula".

He said he would hold a meeting with the chief ministers, if needed, but hastened to add there won't be a need for that as "one or two" chief ministers, who opposed the proposal, have agreed to his suggestions when he spoke to them.

The Southern Zonal Council meeting is discussing issues of state governments of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.