VIF Information Alerts - 24 Jan 2018

New Anti-Maoist strategy delivers results, Red Corridor shrinks to 58 districts
Published – Economic Times
24 Jan 2018

A redrawn counter-insurgency strategy, backed by real-time intelligence through use of modern technology like drones and involving coordinated day and night operations by security personnel, to target Maoists deep inside the jungles has brought down the number of districts afflicted by left-wing extremist violence to 58.

Latest data compiled by CRPF shows that the number of districts under the grip of Maoist violence has dropped significantly since 2015, with over 90% of attacks being reported from only four states — Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.Click here to read... [2]

Terror accused wanted an IS-like ‘caliphate’
Published - Economic Times
24 Jan 2018

Arrested terror operative Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer has told his interrogators that he had left India after the Ahmedabad blasts to establish an IS-like "caliphate", which would have been headed by Mullah Omar of Taliban.

"Tauqeer said that after SIMI was banned in 2001, he and Safdar Nagori formed a new outfit and gave it the temporary name of Islamic Movement by picking I and M from SIMI. Later, these initials were used for Indian Mujahideen. This new outfit had pledged allegiance to Omar," said an investigator.Click here to read... [3]

Hafiz Saeed seeks protection from arrest ahead of UN team's arrival
Published - Economic Times
24 Jan 2018

Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed today filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking protection from arrest ahead of the arrival of the UNSC's sanctions monitoring team, saying the government wants to arrest him at the behest of India and the US.

The monitoring committee of the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee will be visiting Islamabad this week for an assessment of Islamabad's compliance with the world body's sanctions regime. The two-day visit is likely to begin from Thursday. Click here to read... [4]

Indian-origin ISIS man designated as global terrorist by US: All about the ‘New Jihadi John’
Published – The Indian Express
24 Jan 2018

Indian-origin Islamic State militant from Britain — Siddhartha Dhar — has been designated as a global terrorist by the United States. Dhar, along with a Belgian-Moroccan citizen Abdelatif Gaini, was designated as a global terrorist by the State Department on Tuesday. Click here to read... [5]

NIA chargesheet against trader who faked plane ‘hijacking’ midair
Published – The Indian Express
24 Jan 2018

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday filed the chargesheet against Mumbai-based businessman Birju Salla, 37, who allegedly faked the “plane hijacking threat” midair in October last year while travelling business class in a Jet Airways flight. The NIA said that Salla’s act “jeopardised the safety of the passengers and crew members on board”.

The investigating agency said in a press release “…it has been established that accused Birju Salla, who travelled in the business class of the Jet Airways flight No. 9W339 on 30/10/2017, from Mumbai prepared a ‘threat note’ in ‘English’ and ‘Urdu’ language and he intentionally placed it in the tissue paper box of the toilet near the Business Class thereby jeopardised the safety of the passengers and crew members on board.” Click here to read... [6]

‘Imposition’ of polls in Nagaland not acceptable: NSCN(IM)
Published – The Indian Express
24 Jan 2018

Even as the Election Commission has set the ball rolling for holding assembly election in Nagaland, the NSCN(IM) on Tuesday described it as a ‘serious obstacle’ towards finding an early political solution, and declared ‘imposition’ of the election as ‘not acceptable’ to it.

The NSCN(IM) stand was made public ten days after several civil society groups like Naga Hoho, Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO), Against Corruption & Unabated Taxes (ACAUT), Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) and Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) had also appealed to the government of India to defer the election till a solution was thrashed out. Click here to read... [7]

168 curfews imposed in 9 districts of Kashmir in 2016, 2017: Mehbooba Mufti
Published – Economic Times
23 Jan 2018

The Jammu and Kashmir government today said that curfew and restrictions were imposed for 168 times in nine districts of the valley during the last two years. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti informed this in the state Assembly in a written reply to a question by National Conference MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar. Click here to read... [8]