India says Islamic State failed to gain foothold in country

Indian home minister says 90 IS sympathisers have been arrested

Terror group Islamic State (IS) has failed to gain a foothold in India, despite the country being home to the world’s second largest Muslim population, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.

Addressing journalists in New Dehli to mark the completion of three years of the Baharatiya Janata Party government, Singh said the government had successfully countered challenges raised by the terror group and has arrested more than 90 IS sympathisers.

“I can say with full responsibility that despite such a large [Muslim] population, IS has not been able to set foot in India,” he said.



According to Singh, five members of Indian Mujahideen, a proscribed organisation, have been given the death sentence which underscores the Indian government’s successful efforts to keep terrorism in check.

He added that the security situation in the country had improved in the past three years of BJP’s rule.

Singh’s remarks come amid fears from the ruling party that the terror outfit is trying to establish a presence in Asia as it comes under pressure in its heartland in Syria.

IS has claimed responsibility for a wave of killings in neighbouring Bangladesh since 2015, including a major attack on a Dhaka cafe last year in which 22 people, including 18 foreign hostages, were killed.

IS has also claimed several attacks in neighboring Pakistan as well, including a suicide bombing at a popular Sufi shrine, Sehwan Sharif, in February which claimed more than 70 lives and left around 200 people injured.

 

This article originally appeared on Al Jazeera.