Hindu Youths from Karnataka Converts & Vanishes from Kerala

Mangalore: Intelligence reports state that there are deliberate attempts in instilling Islamic State ideology in the minds of people, in areas centering southern districts of Karnataka. It is said that certain youths hailing from North Kerala, who are ‘religious heads’, are heading the movement. Following the recent shocking revelation of 21 people from Kerala having joined ISIS and moved to Syria and Afghanistan, state police has been forced to adopt a more stringent stand, following which these ‘religious heads’ shifted their base to Dakshin Kannada.

In August, Janardhan Gowda’s 19 year old son Deekshit, hailing from Karnataka’s Arambur Taluk’s Paladukka, went missing last month, after having converted to Islam. Before Deekshit, Satish Acharya, a youth from Mandekolu of the same Taluk converted to Islam, after which he vanished for ever.

According to reports received, both cases of disappearance have been traced to having links with Salafi Centre, Kozhikode. Both youths had links to the city as well, having stayed there for a prolonged period of time and worked there as well. According to Intelligence sources, the Karnataka youths went missing approximately the same way as the youths in Kerala, who were suspected to have joined ISIS, went missing. They are said to have left the place, one after the other, after a gap of a week’s time, in order to avoid rousing any kind of suspicion.

On the last day spent with family, before taking leave of them, the youths are said to have informed the kith and kin about joining some distant place of work. Inspite of having promised that they would return pretty soon, these youths are said to have informed family members about returning home after a prolonged period of time. They are also said to have cut off the phone calls in a rude manner, without giving a chance for parents or relatives in putting forth their queries. All these were found to be similar patterns.

Intelligence agencies have also reported people, under the garb of religious preachers, had migrated from Kerala to Karnataka, for the sole purpose of conducting recruitment for ISIS. The investigations are now being centered around the likely locations of centres which propagate Salafi fundamentalism in Dakshina Kananda and the possibility of Salafi extremists having made their way to the place. Kerala is said to be the place with the maximum number of followers for the Saudi Arab Salafi extremist cleric Sheikh Fawzan- which is a greater number than his followers in Karnataka.

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