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Page 11 - The Indian EYE 072426
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    OPINION                                                                   JULY 24, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 11

                Key Trends and Patterns                                                                           ments and the democratization and
                                                                                                                  decentralization of internet access.
                    ay 2026 proved to be a crit-                                                                      To address the dual-faceted
                    ical month in uncovering                                                                      challenges  of  radicalization  and
            Mthe cross-border machi-                                                                              extremism, it is necessary to for-
            nations behind the online or digital                                                                  mulate a holistic policy framework
            grooming of impressionable Indian                                                                     and strategy grounded in existing
            youth, engineered by organized crim-                                                                  realities and emerging trends, while
            inal elements such as Shahzad Bhatti                                                                  being supported by appropriate leg-
            (with ties to a new violent extremist                                                                 islative guidelines. Law enforcement
            outfit,  Tehreek-e-Taliban  Hindustan                                                                 agencies at both the center and state
            or TTH) and Pakistan’s ISI. Reports                                                                   levels must be equipped with specific
            noted that Bhatti is at the helm of op-                                                               tools, such as databases, to statistical-
            erational planning for TTH activities                                                                 ly analyze the distinctive characteris-
            and the dissemination of propagan-                                                                    tics and overlaps among the modes,
            da. Hizbullah Ali Khan alias Tushar                                                                   pathways, and types of radicaliza-
            Chauhan (Meerut) and Sameer                                                                           tions, extremism, criminal activity,
            Khan (Delhi) were apprehended by                                                                      and the criminal-terror nexus.
            Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Anti-Terror-  One of the most unnerving extremist incidents affecting India’s threat landscape was the blast   Social media and encrypted mes-
            ism Squad (ATS) while undergoing                                                                      saging companies need to be held
            systematic grooming following the                 near the Red Fort in November 2025 (File photo)     accountable through enforceable
            establishment of trust between them                                                                   regulatory measures and to work in
            and Bhatti.                       sive acts and join Bhatti’s cross-bor-  tremist incidents affecting India’s   tandem with state authorities. At the
                As is often the case in system-  der network. Reportedly, Sheikh had   threat landscape was the blast near   same time, counter-radicalization
            ic radicalization, friendship, trust   also been assigned responsibilities by   the  Red  Fort  in  November  2025.   and counter-violent extremism mea-
            and loyalty are established before   Bhatti and other criminal entities,   In the above-mentioned case, the   sures need to be effectively imple-
            potential recruits are introduced to   including Ajmal Gurjar and Raza,   networked perpetrators (with one   mented. The government could part-
            extremist and virulent content to ad-  based in Pakistan. The raids conduct-  of them linked to AQ in the Indian   ner with the private sector to work
            vance the cause of violent extremist   ed by UP’s ATS form part of a broad-  subcontinent) relied on ChatGPT   towards creating an AI-enabled plat-
            actors. By following this pattern, the   er domino effect, reflecting a recur-  and YouTube to construct IEDs and   form that would have the capability
            extremists presumably seek to en-  ring trend of online grooming and   bombs, while using encrypted com-  to examine real-time trends within
            sure that the bonds of loyalty, trust   radicalization among India’s youth.  munication platforms, particularly   the extremist and radicalization eco-
            and solidarity cultivated in the initial   In  April  2026,  two  significant   Telegram. This was done to commu-  systems.  A pre-emptive  approach
            phases of interaction with potential   events  occurred  simultaneously.  nicate as well as disseminate extrem-  could then be followed to stay ahead
            recruits will drive the hardening of   On the one hand, the Delhi Police   ist propaganda targeted at those with   of evolving trends and prevent online
            ideological commitment to an ex-  Special Cell foiled attempts by four   no prior criminal record.    discourse from escalating into physi-
            tremist cause.                    members of a terror module based         Key Considerations         cal threats.
                While  investigative reports  re-  in  Odisha,  Bihar  and  Maharashtra                               Moreover, as part of its long-
            veal  that  the  above-mentioned in-  to establish a Caliphate, create a   he impact of online radical-  term vision, India must work towards
            dividuals had not yet developed a   Khorasan-based Lashkar (an army       ization has therefore become   establishing legislative  frameworks
            hardliner’s worldview, Bhatti’s allure   operating in the historic Khorasan  Tgeographically diffuse within   and institutional mechanisms that
            of comfort and luxury was being wea-  region), and prepare for participa-  Indian society. Moreover, they signal   are operating at the nexus of dig-
            ponized by the TTH leader to covert-  tion in Ghazwa-e-Hind (a disputed   that the emerging security landscape   ital literacy, psychosocial support,
            ly recruit Hizbullah and Sameer into   eschatological Islamic prophecy pro-  is increasingly shaped by AI plat-  behavioral threat assessment, and
            the outfit’s rank and file. Their arrest   pounded by Al-Qaeda concerning a   forms and online networking, both   grassroots interventions supported
            formed part of a larger multi-state   battle in the Indian subcontinent sig-  of which have contributed to shaping   by family and community leaders. It
            raid aimed at disrupting a broader   nalling the end of the times).  the current phase of radicalization   must do so while incorporating les-
            network  across  North  India estab-  The members of the extremist   and violent extremism in India. They   sons from global best practices that
            lished by Bhatti through Instagram,   cell were not only radicalized entire-  also underline that decentralized rad-  can be contextualized within the lo-
            YouTube, and encrypted communi-   ly online, but also exploited the digi-  icalization and violent extremism ex-  cal  ecosystem. Ultimately,  as  tech-
            cation channels.                  tal ecosystem to establish a broader   ecuted by lone wolves or micro-cells   nology continues to shape the global
                In addition, within less than a   extremist network within India. They   have  become  more  prominent  than   security landscape relentlessly, In-
            month, another extremist network,   relied  on  encrypted  communication   activities pursued by centralized and   dia’s security-driven responses need
            radicalized and mobilized entirely   platforms to deliberate on matters   rigid organizations. Finally, the dig-  to evolve at the same pace.
            through WhatsApp, social media and   concerning crowdfunding, propagan-  ital ecosystem has exacerbated the
            communication via phone numbers   da dissemination, and preparations   scope of the security threats confront-  Saman Ayesha Kidwai is an Associate
            originating in Dubai, was dismantled   for an improvised explosive device   ing the country.           Fellow (Counter Terrorism Centre) at
            in June 2026. This denoted an upward   (IED) attack, most likely targeting   The proliferation of online-driv-   MP-IDSA.
            trend in the scope of radicalization,   India Gate or the Red Fort in Delhi.   en networks indicates that the secu-  Views expressed are of the author and
            as the detained individual had al-  During the same month, Maharash-  rity threats arising from them cannot   do not necessarily reflect the views of
            ready become deeply involved in re-  tra’s ATS discovered that a lone wolf   be relegated. Rather, they signal a   the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
            cruiting peers and formulating plans   attack had taken place in the state,   likely shift in the nature of the securi-  Government of India
            to carry out acts of political violence   where an ISIS sympathizer, self-rad-  ty threats that India will face moving
            at the behest of foreign handlers.  icalized after consuming extremist   forward. Policies and reforms there-  This article first appeared in the Com-
                The crackdown took place when   content online, stabbed two guards   fore need to keep pace with emerg-  ments section of the website (www.
            UP’s ATS arrested Mohammad        who failed to recite the Kalma (Is-  ing security threats, which are often   idsa.in) of Manohar Parrikar Institute
            Sheikh (Azamgarh) on charges of in-  lamic declaration of faith).   exacerbated by the leapfrogging     for Defense Studies and Analyses,
            citing young men to carry out subver-  One of the most unnerving ex-  potential of technological develop-  New Delhi, on July 15, 2026

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