The jihadi outfits became increasingly aggressive on account of the docility of the DMK regime and during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations tried to block placement of Vinayagar Vigrahas, thwart visarjan processions and stone Vigrahas during processions. Attacks on and protests against Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations have increased annually since 2006 and have been reported in pro-DMK Tamil dailies like Dinakaran, Tamizh Murasuand TV channels such as SUN TV and Raj TV. This year however, witnessed widespread violence unleashed by jihadi outfits during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, which drew the attention of the media.

Military training to cadre is a major feature of these outfits. In April 2008, Tamil daily Dinamani reported that MNP was giving ‘military training’ (fully uniformed with arms) to around 1000 cadre (50 from each district) to conduct a ‘Freedom Parade’ on August 15, 2008 (Independence Day), as a show of ‘patriotism’! The outfit has recruited over 25000 cadre in four years and military training is being imparted to 300 cadre from each district. Though MNP claims to focus on ‘human rights’ and ‘social service’, the daily reported that the ‘Q’ branch police is keeping a watch on its activities. When the MNP took out a rally in Madurai last Republic Day, its wall advertisements reportedly carried the flag of the banned outfit JKLF!

Similar incidents were reported from Karnataka and Kerala.

The pro-Islamic Governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala allowed these outfits to conduct the so-called freedom parade in Kumbakonam and Idukki, which was reported on numerous Muslim websites, including twocircles, freedomparade and dailymuslimnews. BS Yeddyurappa’s (BJP) Government allowed a ‘freedom parade’ in Mangalore in 2008; but refused permission in 2009 for Mysore, a communally sensitive town. Though these organisations claim to be ‘patriotic’ and celebrate the Independence Day, they created unrest and try to incite communal violence in the name of the Babri anniversary. Planned protest demonstrations on December 6, 2008 in major cities and towns led to the detention of over 7000 activists. The Pakistani connection of TMMK and Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat (TNTJ) is evident from the fact that their activities are reported in Pakistani media.

On February 19, 2009, the Tamil daily Dinamalar reported that the Popular Front of India had organised a massive ‘National Political Conference’ in Calicut (February 13-15 2009), which was attended by member organisations, such as Karnataka for Dignity, Manitha Neethi Pasarai, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK), National Development Front, etc. It was attended by thousands of cadre and the conference theme was ‘Power for People’. Incidentally, the TMMK had just then inaugurated its political wing named Manithaneya Makkal Matchi (MMM) meaning ‘Humane People Party’; its leaders also participated in the Calicut conference. Around the same time, Taliban conducted huge rallies in Swat Valley of Pakistan for two days.

In 2011, the AIADMK, which was widely perceived as opposed to terror activities, did an about-turn and aligned with Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi, the political arm of TMMK, known for its active terror cells and behind the murder of Kumara Pandian and his brothers in Tenkasi. The AIADMK alliance with Muslim outfits and communists swept the 2011 Assembly election; now fundamentalist groups behave as if they are the ruling party.

The then Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s scandalous act of releasing nine jihadis from prison on the birth anniversary of Annadurai and commuting their specified sentences has to be viewed in the backdrop of the fact that 12 most wanted terrorists are prowling free in Tamil Nadu. They include Abu baker Siddique alias Kakka (7 cases), Ayub alias Ashraf Ali (9 cases), Mohammed Ali alias Yunus alias Mansoor (3 cases), Mujib-ur Rahman alias Muji (5 cases), Rasool Mydeen (2 cases), Jaguar Sadiq alias Tailor Raja alias Valarntha Raja (5 cases), Toufeeque (2 cases), Mushtaq Ahmed (Chennai RSS headquarters blast case), and Ibrahim, Ashraf Ali, Noohi NP alias Mankave Rasheed and Kunju Mohammed alias Gani (all Coimbatore blast case).

According to the sources, Kakka, Ayub and Toufeeque were trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan and are experts in making explosives. Kakka, a hardcore Al Umma activist, has been accused in seven cases under the Explosive Substances Act and is absconding since 1997. Ayub alias Ashraf Ali, a core member of the Islamic Defence Force, is believed to be the key operative behind the three train blasts in Tamil Nadu in 1997, in which 10 persons were killed and 72 were injured. Ayub and his associates allegedly planted bombs on the Anna flyover in a bid to blast the US consulate in Chennai. He was accused of sending parcel bombs to filmmaker Mani Ratnam for showing acts of Islamist terrorism in his film Bombay.

Mushtaq Ahmed, who joined hands with dreaded terrorist Imam Ali, one of the founders of Al Umma, is accused of planting powerful explosives at the RSS headquarters in Chennai in 1993, killing 11 RSS workers. Though the Tamil Nadu Government announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh each for five of these 12 wanted men, neither the Special Investigation Team, which probed terrorism-related cases in Tamil Nadu, nor the State intelligence unit, has any inputs on their whereabouts.

In February 2009, the fundamentalists took out a huge rally in Calicut, Kerala. Dinamalar reported (February 19, 2009) that the Popular Front of India (PFI) organised a massive National Political Conference in Calicut from February 13-15, 2009. It was attended by members from 16 States; the ‘theme’ being ‘Power for People’! At the conference, seminars for students and NRIs were conducted separately. A seminar against terrorism was inaugurated by Magsaysay Award winner and human rights (sic) activist Sandip Pandey, and was attended by ‘secularists’ like Swami Lakshmi Sankaracharya from Kanpur, advocate Prashant Bushan and Chennai-based Prof Arunan. Secularist Kavitha Srivatsava, then president of PUCL-Rajasthan, inaugurated a seminar on ‘Women power in politics’.

National Ulemas organised a seminar on ‘Religion in granting power’. Sri Goya, editor, Tejas, chaired a meeting of media persons. A seminar on ‘Reservations’ was also held. The conference culminated with a massive rally and public meeting attended by over two lakh people. On February 17, 2007, The New Indian Express, Chennai, reported: “The ‘Q’ branch of the State police is now concerned about the formation of a new Islamic outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI), a coordinated effort between three organisations – Karnataka For Dignity (KFD), Karnataka; Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP), Tamil Nadu; and National Development Front (NDF), Kerala. Though the organisation’s agenda was democracy and social justice, the State Police expressed apprehensions, pointing out that, a majority of the leaders of this new front belonged to the now banned SIMI.

The sources informed the newspaper that the constituent groups of the Popular Front of India were believed to be behind the bomb attack on the BJP office in Bangalore on April 16, 2013. It is also alleged that the MNP is the new name of the banned Al Umma, just as the Tamil Nadu unit of SIMI renamed itself Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam after the Centre banned SIMI. Recently, a Hindu flower vendor was beaten by Muslims in Triplicane area of Chennai for drawing the traditional rangoli in front of her house. When she approached the Police, they asked her to leave immediately as hundreds of Muslims had besieged the station. This happened in the same area where Muslims issued pamphlets with derogatory remarks against saint Vallalar and forcefully took the accused from the clutches of the police.

Reliable sources suggest a growing nexus between dalit and Islamic bodies. Political murders via henchmen have risen in Tamil Nadu since 2006, and serve to gloss over murders as motivated by personal or professional enmity, land grabs, illicit relationships, etc. This can be seen from the voluntary surrender of the accused in Arvind Reddy’s murder in Vellore and the attack on RSS parchark Bhaskar in Dindugal. In both cases, the men who surrendered had no connection with the victims personally, professionally and politically.

Enquiries reveal that in recent years, the State Intelligence Department downgraded its human intelligence gathering, creating a vacuum which has rendered the police department toothless in handling high profile crimes and busting terror modules and associated networks.

Pampering and nurturing terror outfits and secessionist elements like ‘Nam Thamizhar’ which invited Yasin Malik to address gatherings, has resulted in the formation of a formidable network which has become hard to control.

It may be recalled that during the spate of terror killings in the mid-1993s in Tamil Nadu, the presence of Hindu organisations such as Hindu Munnani, RSS, and others, safeguarded the Hindu community through proactive measures. During this period, intelligentsia aligned with the Left-secular-Dravidian spectrum claimed that the anti-Muslim propaganda of these organisations triggered the killings. This claim can be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.

It is the repealing of anti-terror laws and indifference towards Islamic fundamentalism owing to an eye on minority votes that laid the ground for the resurrection of terror outfits in the State. The politics of leaders percolates deep into the administration and causes failure of all organs of Government in controlling terror. The total breakdown of intelligence and the fear psychosis instilled by terror groups in the minds of police and administration can be seen from the functioning of the departments. Dravidian politics from inception revolves around the fulcrum of anti-Hindu and anti-national forces — unbroken Dravidian rule from 1967 onwards has eroded the self esteem of Hindus.

If matters are not to get to the point where Dravidian parties themselves feel threatened by rampaging jihadis, urgent steps must be taken to bring matters somewhat under control. As a first step, a special investigation team must be set up to investigate all murders and attacks on the leaders and workers of theBharatiya Janata Party and other Hindu organisations. The State Government must ensure proper protection to the witnesses and appoint the best officers to conduct the probe.

Thereafter, a special fast track court should be constituted to try all terror attacks to bring speedy justice to the victims and their families. The best public prosecutors must be engaged to instill confidence in the public.

Terrorism in India is too real and grim to be soft-peddled. Both the Central and State Governments need to reconsider the need for special anti-terror laws, and to seriously implement the ban on terror outfits and secessionist organisations by closing down each new ‘front’ under which they operate. Above all, there must be an end to minority appeasement as it only fosters separatism in the minds of the pampered community.