[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The move is aimed at checking possible terror links of people living in the two Muslim dominated districts of Western UP

In a potentially controversial move that seems to be based on the notion that a particular community is more prone to be associated with terror activity, the Uttar Pradesh police will verify documents of all passport holders in western Uttar Pradesh districts of Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar. The two districts have a significant population of Muslims, with Saharanpur also being home to India’s largest Islamic seminary – the Darul Uloom Deoband.

The bizarre decision by the UP police administration comes in the wake of unsubstantiated reports that operatives associated with some terror modules may be hiding in Deoband. Two suspected Bangladeshi terrorists, who had reportedly managed to get Indian passports on Deoband addresses, had recently been arrested by the UP anti-terrorism squad (ATS).

A report in the Times of India quoted Saharanpur’s deputy inspector general of police, KS Emmanuel as saying: “Local intelligence unit (LIU) will also be involved along with local police in the drive. Documents of foreign students will also be examined.” It may be noted that Darul Uloom receives a large number of Muslim students from across the world who come to the seminary to undertake various courses, including religious ones.

Emmanuel, however, tried to brush aside speculations that the document verification drive was targeted at Muslims. “It’s not only about Deoband or any particular community. The verification of passport holders will take place in entire Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur owing to inputs we have received that a few terror modules could be hiding in the area. There have been a few instances in the past when men with questionable credentials were found here… The Bangadeshi terror module that was arrested from Muzaffarnagar in August had got passport made in Saharanpur. So we are just being cautious and improving the mechanism of inquiry by verifying all passport holders in the region. We cannot take chances when it comes to national security,” he said.

The Uttar Pradesh ATS had, in August this year, arrested Bangladeshi national Abdullah Al-Mamon, allegedly over his links with banned terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). Police had claimed that Mamon had stayed in Deoband for several years before his arrest from Muzaffarnagar and that he had also recruited locals from the western UP district in the terror outfit.

Earlier this month, the ATS had also sounded an alert for one Faizan Ahmad who allegedly acted as a key recruiter and was involved in the indoctrination of local youths to lead them into terror activities, a TOI report said. During a raid at Faizan’s Saharanpur dwelling soon after the arrest of Abdullah Mamon from Muzaffarnagar, the ATS had claimed that it recovered literature related to global terrorist organisation, Islamic State, from the premises.

The UP police have claimed that around 20 Bangladeshi men who have some links with ABT have gone missing in and around Western UP.

While Deoband in Saharanpur is the seat of the Darul Uloom, Muzaffarnagar had hit media headlines in 2013 following massive communal riots in the district. BJP legislator Sangeet Som was accused of inciting Hindu mobs during the Muzaffarnagar riots which resulted in the death of at least 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus and left nearly 50,000 people from the western UP district displaced.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]