Feeling of alienation among a section of Muslim youths and attempts to radicalise them have raised concerns in the security establishment, prompting the Home Ministry to call a meeting to discuss the issue.
While monitoring social media, security agencies have stumbled upon the fact that a section of Indian Muslim youths feel that they are being allegedly discriminated against in various stages of life, especially by police and judiciary.
A senior official said trends in social media suggested that many young Muslim youths feel that hanging of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon could have been avoided and that he was singled out because of his religion.
Citing the example of Jammu and Kashmir, the official said hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru had impacted many Kashmiri youths and they show their anger by often participating in protests against the government, raising anti-India slogans and hoisting Pakistani flags.
“These are disturbing trends which we have to address,” said the official, adding a meeting will soon be held in the Home Ministry to discuss the issue.
Security agencies feel that if immediate steps are not taken, there is danger of many Muslim youths falling in the trap of radical elements and joining extremist forces, the official said.
Describing ISIS and al Qaeda as serious security challenges for India, former Director of Intelligence Bureau Asif Ibrahim had said in November last year that the Internet has become a tool for radicalisation of Indian youths and there was a need for community and collective response to it.
Ibrahim had said there was an imminent danger of Indian youths moving to the conflict zone, emerging as a role model and stressed that such developments, may directly or indirectly, pose a threat to India.