New Delhi: Indian intelligence agencies have flagged attempts by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to exploit the prevailing political volatility in West Bengal by running coordinated disinformation campaigns, officials said.
The alert comes amid heightened tensions in the state following the killing of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. The situation remains sensitive in the aftermath of a bitterly contested Assembly election between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress, which the BJP won decisively.
Intelligence agencies continue to monitor the situation closely. The chatter they picked up suggests that ISI-backed elements within the state and across the border would seek to exploit the situation. These elements thrive in such situations and seek to add fire so that the entire state remains volatile.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that West Bengal and the northeastern states have always been on the ISI playbook. While illegal immigration is one weapon that the ISI uses to create demographic changes and incite communal disharmony, it has also got a brigade that seeks to take advantage of a politically volatile situation.
The official added that while some of the incidents of violence are politically motivated, many are fuelled by external elements. The ISI is looking to run a disinformation campaign in West Bengal so that the state remains on the boil. Political violence that even includes bomb hurling is nothing new in West Bengal. This is something that the ISI-backed elements would look to cash in on.
Another official said that the disinformation campaign would largely focus on fake news relating to the decisions that the new government would take. The BJP has promised that it would tackle the menace of illegal immigration with an iron fist. Disinformation about the state’s tackling of illegal immigration is also something that these elements would try to spread.
Officials say that the next couple of months will be crucial to the state. Some parties have falsely accused the BJP of stealing the elections, and this is also something that these elements would capitalise on, the official added. Pakistan-based actors would be busiest at this time and would look to take full advantage of the volatility that prevails in the state.
While ISI is planning operations on the ground, the worry for the agencies is the fake news campaigns that would be run on social media. Multiple accounts are being closely monitored to check what they are speaking about West Bengal. The social media and chat groups are where these pro-Pakistan elements would look to ignite the fire.
An official said that the old plan of the ISI was to send in illegal immigrants into West Bengal. This was planned with the clear intention of effecting demographic changes so that the majority becomes the minority. However, going forward, illegal immigration is something that would be hard to effect since the BJP has promised to tackle the menace. With such a scenario, the ISI would use its assets within India to create a false narrative, incite communal tensions, and also carry out attacks.
In addition to monitoring the West Bengal situation, the agencies are also looking at the larger game. For the ISI, this is not only a West Bengal project. It also includes the northeastern states, where the Pakistani spy agency has long been trying to incite large-scale violence.
In terms of national security, the northeastern states and West Bengal are very important. These are bordering states, and trouble in such places affects the nation’s security, an official said. The agencies would remain on a state of very high alert and ensure that nothing untoward takes place and the ISI-backed elements do not succeed in taking advantage of the political volatility, the official also added.
(IANS)
