Kalaburagi: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday said one person has been arrested here for allegedly having links with terror groups through social media, while further investigation was underway against the other.
Two youths, both originally from outside Karnataka, came under the scanner following a joint operation by the central agencies and the state government’s Internal Security Division, he said.
“In a joint operation by the central government and the state government’s internal security division, on receiving information that two youths were developing links with terrorists through social media, they were detained,” Kharge told reporters.
Following the investigation, it was established that one of them was in regular contact with the suspected terror network, while the other was not in contact with anyone in this regard, he said.
“We have arrested one person, and further investigation is underway against the other,” the minister said.
Kharge said this was the fifth such case reported in the last two to three months, adding that the individuals involved were from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.
“We have taken this seriously. We are combing through social media and other activities of migrant workers. We will not take this lightly and will take necessary action in coordination with the Government of India,” he said.
On migrant workers moving to Karnataka in search of employment, the home minister said the government could not prevent people from coming to the state to earn a livelihood, as it was their constitutional right. However, he urged employers to verify the backgrounds of people they hire.
“We have repeatedly told coffee plantation owners, construction contractors, factories, textile mills, quick-commerce and e-commerce companies to approach us for verification. We will help them,” he said.
The minister said employers are not coming forward adequately for background verification, often treating the issue casually because workers were hired for short periods.
He said the government would convene a meeting after the festival (Dasara) next week with quick-commerce and delivery companies, logistics firms, coffee associations and homestay operators to formulate standard operating procedures for employee verification.
“We will also examine whether the verification process can be fast-tracked through local police stations,” he said, appealing to employers to conduct thorough background checks on people engaged by them.
Asked whether the government would set up a separate anti-sleeper-cell squad, Kharge said it was not necessary as existing agencies were already responsible for such operations.
“We already have the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the Garuda Force and the Internal Security Division. This is their job. There is no need for a separate squad exclusively for this purpose,” he said.
Responding to concerns about a second such incident where central agencies conducted operations in Kalaburagi, while local police lacked the same information, the minister explained that these operations are carried out jointly and involve intelligence inputs and technical resources that may not be available to every agency.
“Some information and technology may be available with them (Centre), while we may not have it. They work with agencies in other countries and have access to interpol and common databases relating to terrorists or suspected terrorists. We do not have the same scope to directly engage with agencies in other countries,” he said.
He stressed that the Centre and state had shared responsibility in tackling such threats and needed to exchange information.
“It is an all-India operation. They have their responsibilities, and we have ours. We must share information with them, and they must share information with us,” he added.
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