New Delhi, June 5 : There is a varied difference in the way terror operations are conducted in North and South India. In the North of India, the ISI makes an aggressive push to launch multiple attacks at important locations. However, in South India, the push is a soft one. The ISI has maintained this style, with the sole focus being on radicalisation and demographic changes

. Two key states that the ISI has focused on are Tamil Nadu and Kerala in South India. The Intelligence agencies have on several occasions flagged ISI operations in Sri Lanka aimed at hitting the South Indian states. With the ISI looking to increase operations down South, the Indian Intelligence agencies are keeping a close watch on Batticaloa district, which is described as the centre of Wahhabism in Sri Lanka.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that this district is an area of concern not just for South India, but also for Sri Lanka. The official said that a few politicians who control this district have ties with Saudi Foundations. These ties have led to an increase in Wahhabi activity in the district. The official warned that these elements would look to increase activity in the Southern Indian states also.

Another official said that with the ISI backing, these elements would try what they did in Kerala. Since the early 2000s, there has been a flurry of Wahhabi-related activity in the state, thanks to scores of preachers visiting there. With the Intelligence agencies flagging such activity that led to a mindset change among a large number of people, the Wahhabis from Saudi Arabia gradually reduced their visits to Kerala. However, now through elements in the Batticaloa district, the ISI hopes to push more Wahhabi culture into Tamil Nadu.

A clear pattern to make South India a soft target began in the 2000s. However, such activity soared in 2013, and the following year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) busted an ISI module involved in spying. In September 2014, Arun Selvarajan became the third person to be arrested by the agency for ISI links. Before this, one Mohammed Sakir Hussain was arrested in Chennai, followed by Mohammed Hussain Suleman in Malaysia.

Investigations showed that the plot was to recruit and radicalise youth from the Maldives and then instruct them to carry out attacks on the US and Israeli Consulates in Chennai and Bengaluru.

Another official said that in addition to making a push to increase Wahhabi-related activity in Tamil Nadu, the ISI has also been trying to tap former LTTE operatives to carry out attacks in South India. The ISI is getting in touch with these elements and reminding them of the military action taken by Sri Lanka against the LTTE.

The ISI has been trying to exploit the anti-state sentiment that these people have and use this as a recruitment tool. Officials say that while the push for espionage and terror modules is ongoing, the worry is about the cultural changes that the Wahhabi elements are trying to bring about in South India. This explains why the agencies have their eyes on the activities in Batticaloa district, the official added.

This district has had a history of nurturing and promoting radical elements. Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the Sri Lankan Easter Bombings, hails from the Batticaloa district. Investigations showed that Hashim rose to prominence in this district, and he was heavily radicalised. He had even visited Tamil Nadu on many occasions with the sole intention of radicalising the youth.

Investigators say that he did manage to undertake a radicalisation drive, and both the Coimbatore and Mangaluru bombers, Jamesha Mubin and Mohammad Shariq, were his prodigies. Another area of concern is the rise in activity by the Rabita Trust. Officials say that the ISI is trying to use this trust to spread its radical ideology in Tamil Nadu and other southern states. The trust has maintained close ties with Al-Qaeda leaders, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Sobhi Abdel Aziz Mohamed el Gohary Abu Sinna.

The Rabita Trust is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Pakistan, which has provided logistical and financial support to Al-Qaida. The Rabita Trust has also had close ties to Al-Qaida leaders and other listed individuals and entities, including Aiman Muhammed Rabi al-Zawahiri, Sobhi Abdel Aziz Mohamed el Gohary Abu Sinna (deceased), Makhtab al-Khidamat and the Armed Islamic Group, the United Nations database states.

Officials say that with the help of such entities, the ISI is making a hard push to infiltrate states such as Tamil Nadu. The approach is two-pronged, with the primary focus now being on widespread radicalisation. Eventually, the plan is to recruit people from Sri Lanka and the Maldives and then hit the southern states, the official also said.

/IANS