Days after an internal reshuffle in ranks within the Congress party saw him replaced as Karnataka and Goa in-charge, senior Congress leader and in-charge of Telangana Digvijay Singh today stirred up a controversy alleging that the Telangana police was “radicalizing Muslim youth” in the state and encouraging them to “become ISIS modules”.
In a series of tweets he put out today, Digvijay claimed that the Telangana police had set up a fake ISIS website and was posting inflammatory information to instigate Muslim youth in the state. “Telangana Police has set up a bogus ISIS site which is radicalising Muslim Youths and encouraging them to become ISIS Modules. The issue is whether Telangana Police should be trapping Muslim Youths in becoming ISIS modules by posting inflammatory information?” he said.
Digvijay also sought to draw a connection between the encounter of Saifullah on the outskirts of Lucknow as well as the arrest of the alleged perpetrators of the Ujjain passenger train blast by the Madhya Pradesh police, contending that it was on the basis of the information provided by the Telangana police that these operations were carried out.
“It was on their information that MP Police arrested accused who were responsible for the bomb blast in train in Shajapur District of MP. It also resulted in Saifullaha encounter in Kanpur the same day,” Digvijay tweeted.
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In a direct attack on the Telangana government, Digvijay further targeted Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao seeking his resignation over his possible approval to the act. “Has KCR authorised Telangana Police to trap Muslim Youths and encourage them to join ISIS? If he has then shouldn't he own the responsibility and resign? If he hasn't then shouldn't he enquire and punish those who are responsible for committing such a heinous crime?” he asked.
Meanwhile, the Congress leader’s comments have come in for serious criticism from the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which termed Digvijay’s comments as ‘irresponsible and reprehensible’.
“Most irresponsible & reprehensible thing coming from a former CM. Request you to withdraw these comments unconditionally or provide evidence,” Telangana minister KT Rama Rao said responding to Digvijay’s tweet. The minister further said that it was not the first time that Digvijay had passed such comments against the police and armed forces and demanded that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi intervene in the matter.
"If Rahul does not intervene, we will assume that it has the approval of the Congress vice president," KTR said, demanding an apology from Digvijay.
The Telangana police too has objected strongly to the alegations levelled by Digvijay. “Unfounded allegations from a senior responsible leader will lower the morale and image of Police engaged in fighting anti-national forces,” the state DGP tweeted earlier.
Dreaded terror group has been on the lookout to expand its footprints in India and Telangana has proven to be a hotbed for its attempts to influence and radicalize Muslim youths. Several people have been arrested in the past in the state either on suspicions of links to the ISIS or for their attempts to join the dreaded outfit.
