Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and senior BJP leader R Ashoka on Wednesday demanded the immediate deportation of Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals residing illegally in the state, warning that their presence could pose a serious threat to national security.
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His statement comes in the wake of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arresting three individuals from Karnataka, including a prison psychiatrist and a police officer, for alleged links to a radicalisation network connected to Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Following NIA searches at five locations in Bengaluru and Kolar, three people were arrested, Dr. Nagaraj, a psychiatrist at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison; Assistant Sub-Inspector Chan Pasha; and Anees Fathima, the mother of an absconding suspect. These arrests are part of an investigation into terror-linked prison radicalisation activities in the state.
Calling the arrests alarming, Ashoka criticised the Congress-led state government for what he termed a lack of seriousness in tackling terrorism and alleged vote bank politics.
{{/usCountry}}Calling the arrests alarming, Ashoka criticised the Congress-led state government for what he termed a lack of seriousness in tackling terrorism and alleged vote bank politics.
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“The NIA has arrested three individuals who pose a serious threat to national security. Unfortunately, the state’s Home Department is directionless and there seems to be no accountability,” he said at a press conference.
Ashoka alleged that the state government had been hesitant in deporting illegal Pakistani nationals, even after directions from the Centre, and warned that such leniency was emboldening terror-related elements.
The BJP leader called for the creation of a dedicated task force to identify and deport all illegal Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals in Karnataka. He also urged full cooperation with central agencies like the NIA in dismantling extremist networks operating within the state.
“The state should stop playing politics over national security. It must cooperate fully with NIA and take measures to ensure prisons are not turned into hubs for radicalisation,” Ashoka said.
Highlighting reports that prison officials helped smuggle mobile phones to inmates, he said this points to a larger network that must be rooted out. He urged the Home Department to monitor jail communications and thoroughly investigate how such internal support systems are facilitating radical ideologies.