In wake of of Socialist Democratic Party Of India's (SDPI) Tamil Nadu state Secretary Umer Farook posting - and subsequently deleting - praise for Taliban on its victory in Afghanistan, the Tamil Nadu Police's cyber wing and 'Q' Branch have swung into action to monitor suspect social media accounts.
The SDPI, which has Islamist leanings, had called upon Farook to delete his post and he had immediately done so. However, the two police wings are now monitoring social media accounts of certain organisations and individuals keenly for any such content.
After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the central intelligence agencies had asked all state police chiefs to have social media accounts of certain organisations and individuals monitored. There were reports on certain extreme elements in Taliban coming out with the statements like 'After Kabul, it is Delhi' which has concerned central agencies.
With Tamil Nadu having a history of Islamist organisations carrying terror attacks such as the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast aimed at the then Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and later the bombing of RSS state committee office, several organisations are on the watch list of central agencies, state agencies, and state police.
After the SDPI leader's pro-Taliban post, intelligence agencies are keenly monitoring whether the same post or new posts have come up in support of the new Afghan regime. They are also monitoring certain pockets including Coimbatore and certain parts of Jholarpet and other areas where there is a strong presence of certain organisations which were on the radar of the agencies.
The cyber wing and the 'Q' branch is focusing on whether any message or information against the Indian state, or any calls for people to organise are being circulated.
Sources in the state police told IANS that some individuals who had posted in favour of the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan had immediately withdrawn the statements and no organisation as such has directly issued any order for celebrations or statements in support of the Taliban.
The crackdown on several fringe groups and individuals in Tamil Nadu in wake of the brutal murder of Special Sub Inspector, S. Wilson, at the Kalyakavilai market road check post at the Kerala border on January 8, 2020, has led to activities of radical Islamic elements in Tamil Nadu staying on a low.
However, central intelligence agencies are also closely monitoring the situation and Tamil Nadu is being given special focus as there were several incidents of Islamist activists creating problems in the state.
