Mumbai: Indian central security agencies have intercepted fresh intelligence indicating that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is orchestrating covert operations targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), with its Nagpur headquarters identified as a primary target. The operations are reportedly in retaliation to Operation Sindoor, which Islamabad claims targeted its religious sites.
ISI Targets RSS Headquarters
Sources reveal that the ISI has instructed its proxies that the RSS represents the “ideological core of India,” and any attack on its premises would deliver a significant symbolic and psychological blow. Intelligence reports accessed by the Free Press Journal indicate that ISI handlers have intensified reconnaissance, directing proxies to gather GPS coordinates, photographs, and operational maps of RSS offices across Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.
Terror Groups Mobilized
A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that this covert operation has become a catalyst for terror mobilization. Reports suggest that terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) are being operationally activated under direct ISI guidance. Intercepts reveal plans for logistical support, including safe houses and local reconnaissance, to facilitate potential attacks. The ISI has reportedly tasked aligned groups to map entry and exit points of RSS offices, monitor security protocols, and track the movement patterns of key RSS functionaries. These directives reportedly extend beyond the RSS to public spaces, Hindu temples, and critical infrastructure, aiming to sow panic and project intimidation.
Heightened Risk During Ganesh Utsav
In response, central agencies have initiated heightened operational security protocols, advising state police to implement layered surveillance, rapid-response deployments, and perimeter monitoring at RSS offices, religious sites, and high-density public locations. Central agencies have particularly highlighted the upcoming weeks, coinciding with Maharashtra’s Ganesh Utsav, as a period of elevated risk, warning that large gatherings, a hallmark of Mumbai’s cultural and religious life, could be exploited by anti-national elements. Intelligence warnings have highlighted the potential for sabotage, prompting unprecedented security measures.
State police have been directed to conduct thorough background checks, sweep temples and Ganpati pandals, monitor crowded marketplaces, and verify credentials of festival personnel. Surveillance of entry and exit points, installation of CCTV cameras, and deployment of rapid-response teams have been intensified to prevent untoward incidents. Officials emphasized that proactive security, layered surveillance, and real-time intelligence monitoring will be essential to preempt any attempts to disrupt the festival or target civilians.
Security agencies believe the ISI’s strategy may exploit public events to amplify fear, prompting strengthened coordination between central and state forces.
Mumbai Police Deployment Intensified
In Mumbai, Joint Police Commissioner (Law & Order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary stated that over 17,000 personnel, including 14,430 constables, 2,637 officers, 51 ACPs, and 36 DCPs, will be deployed from Ganesh idol installation to immersion. The operation will be supported by SRPF platoons, Rapid Action Force units, riot control teams, Delta combat units, Home Guards, and thousands of volunteers. Over 11,000 CCTV cameras, drones, plain-clothes officers, mobile patrol vans, and beat marshals have been deployed. Major mandals such as Lalbaugcha Raja, Girgaon, and Juhu Chowpatty have dedicated dog squads, Bomb Detection & Disposal Squads (BDDS), special CCTV coverage, and watchtowers.
Integration of Cyber and On-Ground Intelligence
Intelligence units are also monitoring social media chatter, cross-border communications, encrypted messaging platforms, server operations, and digital financial transactions linked to terror networks. Officials say these digital footprints provide critical insights into planned movements, recruitment, and logistical support for potential attacks. Authorities are coordinating cyber units with field teams to intercept and neutralize any hostile activity. Officials emphasized that integrating on-ground vigilance with cyber intelligence is essential to safeguarding public spaces, particularly during high-risk periods such as the RSS-linked Ganpati festivities.
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Proactive Measures to Safeguard Public
The convergence of the ISI’s retaliatory agenda, the targeting of the RSS, and the timing of Ganesh Utsav has placed India’s security apparatus on high alert. Authorities emphasized that preemptive action, layered surveillance, and rapid-response readiness will be essential to safeguard public spaces during this high-risk period.
