New Delhi, September 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Intelligence agencies have stepped up surveillance of small, secret gatherings across southern India following reports that the Islamic State is using a micro-group strategy to radicalise local youth and expand its ideological influence.
According to intelligence officials, the group has been focusing particularly on Tamil Nadu, where agencies believe its radicalisation efforts have gained traction since the outfit emerged in 2014. Officials said similar efforts are now being discussed for Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, although the reported scale of radicalisation in these states remains lower than in Tamil Nadu.
An Intelligence Bureau official said individuals who have been radicalised by the Islamic State are holding small meetings to discuss and propagate the outfit’s ideology.
“These meetings are attended by not more than three to four persons, and this is a deliberate ploy to evade the attention of the security agencies,” the official said.
Officials said the gatherings are designed to remain inconspicuous, with no pamphlets, books or other material reportedly distributed during the meetings. Discussions are understood to centre on radicalisation, identifying potential targets for lone-actor attacks and spreading the Islamic State’s ideology across southern India.
While online radicalisation efforts continue, security agencies are particularly monitoring such small gatherings, officials said.
Another official said that while radicalisation remains the group’s primary focus, agencies are concerned about the possibility of individuals acting independently after being indoctrinated.
Officials said intelligence assessments indicate that future terror attacks could increasingly involve lone actors, citing the October 23, 2022, Coimbatore incident involving Jameesha Mubin.
Mubin had attempted to carry out a blast using a vehicle near the Sangameshwar Temple in Kottaimedu, Coimbatore. The attempt failed to reach the intended target, and Mubin was killed when the vehicle exploded.
According to officials, Mubin had managed to conceal his activities from intelligence agencies before the incident. An official said he had been involved in fundraising and attended several meetings that went undetected, with his alleged plan becoming known only after the explosion.
The Enforcement Directorate had found that Mubin and his associates raised funds through an alleged fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate scheme and by fraudulently collecting donations at the Kovai Arabic College in Coimbatore.
Officials said the small gatherings currently being monitored bear similarities to meetings Mubin was known to attend, particularly in their limited size and low-profile nature.
Intelligence agencies are now maintaining heightened surveillance as they assess attempts to expand the Islamic State’s reported radicalisation network across southern India.
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