The Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) has been actively operating in South India, particularly focusing on radicalization and expanding its online activities. Indian agencies are investigating encrypted communications among HuT members, noting significant financial inflows from foreign countries. Intelligence reports suggest that HuT, supported by the ISI, aims to radicalize youth for potential terror activities in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Officials reveal that HuT is leveraging the resources of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to recruit members who have gone underground post the PFI ban. The group’s funding, monitored by the ISI, originates from various countries like Germany and Switzerland, prompting close scrutiny by investigative agencies. HuT’s strategy emphasizes radicalization over immediate ground operations, with plans to establish proxy outfits for inciting violence and promoting Sharia law.
HuT’s revival plans were exposed after the Chennai Crime Branch arrested five operatives in 2014, highlighting the outfit’s efforts to propagate radical Islam and establish an Islamic Caliphate in South India. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) discovered a three-stage operation plan by HuT, focusing on recruitment, Caliphate advocacy, and potential attacks with foreign support. Currently in the initial radicalization phase, HuT maintains a low profile to evade Indian agencies’ surveillance.
