New Delhi: Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI is using underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's network in India to incite communal riots here.
According to intelligence inputs, the ISI may target prominent Hindu leaders to trigger communal violence. Also the ISI is seeking help of banned groups like Indian Mujahideen and SIMI, to execute its plan.
Besides, it is funding anti-national forces to stoke violence in the country.
"As Indian Mujahideen (IM) and SIMI have been disintegrated to some extent, the ISI is once again seeking the help of underworld to stoke violence in the country. Funds are being transferred from abroad and local men are picked up by the underworld to target prominent people and places, which eventually can trigger communal violence across the nation," a senior official of a central agency told Mail Today.
Reports say that Sri Ram Sena founder Pramod Muthalik is among few prominent Hindu leaders who are on the radar of ISI and Dawood.
Intelligence agencies came to the above conclusion after the arrest of 28-year-old Syed Niyamath alias Rehman, a key aide of Dawood's deputy Chhota Shakeel.
Also the probe into the killing of two BJP leaders in Bharuch earlier this month had revealed the involvement of Shakeel.
"Primary investigations revealed that the murders were carried out citing injustice due to the incidents that happened from 1993 (Mumbai riots) to 2002 (Gujarat riots)," Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief JK Bhatt had told the PTI.
The two BJP leaders, former party president of Bharuch district and senior RSS member Shirish Bangali and general secretary of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha of Bharuch district Pragnesh Mistry, were shot dead by two unidentified gunmen in Bharuch on November 2.
According to the investigation, one of the accused in the case was introduced to Shakeel by the mastermind of murder Javed Chikna.
It is also speculated that ISI may have funded the killings of the two BJP leaders.
"The 'supari' (contract) for killing two leaders was given by absconding (1993) Mumbai blasts accused Javed Chikna from South Africa. He had hired killers for Rs 50 lakhs to kill those Bharuch based leaders," Bhatt had said, adding that the shooters had so far received Rs 5 lakhs.
