New Delhi: There is a new headache for the Indian security agencies as it has been noticed in recent weeks that foreign networks are using the online space to instigate some youth in the country. Multiple foreign networks have been working in tandem to run a massive propaganda campaign in a bid to instigate the youth into indulging in violence.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that these foreign networks working for the ISI have been told to join hands to carry out this major operation. The official said that the latest development would indicate that the ISI has told the Sikhs for Justice and the Shahzad Bhatti network to work in tandem in a bid to incite violence in the country.
Currently, the targets are those with criminal backgrounds. They are paid a good sum of money to undertake the job, the official said. Their brief is to infiltrate protests or demonstrations and incite violence. The aim is to ensure a strong police response against the demonstrators and make this a global issue. Once these elements manage to elicit a strong police response, the visuals are captured and then circulated across the globe in large numbers, the official added.
The idea is to malign the image of the country by showing to the world that the police have been given a free hand to act against protesters by using excessive force. Another official said that the biggest problem is recruiting persons with criminal backgrounds. These elements are used to carry out violence and crimes. They can very easily incite violence and rile up the police as they are experts in doing so.
These networks would also be looking for persons who have been booked previously for rioting or indulging in communal violence. These are the perfect candidates for the SFJ or Bhatti network, as such candidates have prior hand experience in inciting violence, the official also added.
The agencies have learnt that these networks are primarily operating from North America and Europe. Officials say that it is not just the recruitment that is worrying. Apart from this, these networks have even instructed their people to flood the internet with propaganda material, particularly videos on channels such as YouTube. This is an ongoing process for the agencies, an official explained.
Videos with false narratives are being circulated in large numbers. Such videos and fake claims by Pakistani accounts only went up after Operation Sindoor, as they wanted to cover the losses they faced at the hands of the Indian armed forces. These networks, run by the ISI, have been routing funds to the recruits through hawala channels.
Also on the watch of the Indian agencies are the fake charities across the country. These charities too have been instructed to distribute the money to the recruits. What has also caught the attention of the Indian agencies is that such campaigns are not being pushed in a rush.
It is a systematic campaign to change the discourse and narrative in the country gradually. The ultimate goal, however, is to incite violence and force the police to commit excesses. Any major action by the police tends to become an international issue. These elements want such issues to be highlighted by the foreign media and ultimately run a narrative that India is a police state, an official added.
–IANS
