NIA roped in scholars to understand IS radicalism

NEW DELHI: To study and understand the reasons for radicalism of Islamic State (IS)-inspired accused under arrest, National Investigation Agency (NIA) roped in scholars from prestigious institutes like Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, NIA official on condition of anonymity said, “These researchers are graduates and post-graduates in subjects like criminology or psychology and they have been working with our counter-radicalism cell for the past one month,” said an official of the federal anti-terrorism agency. “They have been given interrogation reports of over five dozen persons arrested on the charges of being IS-inspired.”

“The researchers, mostly females, will try to find a pattern in these cases in terms of the socio-cultural and financial background of the families the accused persons belong to and also what were the early indicators or causes of radicalism in them,” the official added.

The agency, as of now has hired the researchers for a year asks the researchers to prepare a report to suggest ways of countering radicalisation.

The Union Home Ministry last year created two new divisions, Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) and Cyber and Information Security (CIS), to devise and check quick strategies for de- radicalisation and cyber fraud.