Four held by Gujarat ATS for allegedly promoting AQIS propaganda online

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Gujarat police on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) said it had arrested four suspects from different parts of the country for allegedly promoting the ideology of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a banned terrorist organisation, through social media platforms. Officials said the suspects were actively inciting youth towards jihad and violent anti-national activities online.

According to ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police Harsh Upadhyay, the operation was initiated following intelligence inputs regarding five Instagram accounts allegedly disseminating inflammatory and anti-national content to radicalise youth and encourage terrorist activities and unrest in India.

The suspects have been identified as Fardeen Shaikh from Fatehwadi (Ahmedabad), Saifulla Qureshi from Modasa (Gujarat), Mohammad Faik from Chandni Chowk (Delhi), and Zeeshan Ali from Noida (Uttar Pradesh).

Acting on the intelligence, the ATS constituted four teams and conducted coordinated operations across Ahmedabad, Modasa, Delhi, and Noida on July 21 and 22. The operations were carried out with coordination central agencies, the Delhi Police Special Cell, and the Uttar Pradesh ATS.

The investigation revealed that the group was allegedly propagating AQIS ideology under the banner of “Ghazwa-e-Hind” and encouraging followers to take up arms. The suspects had reportedly circulated jihadist videos and literature via the social media accounts.

During the search operations, the ATS recovered AQIS literature and a sword from the possession of Fardeen Shaikh. Officials said the sword was purportedly intended for use in anti-national jihad. A video recovered from Shaikh’s phone allegedly showed him brandishing the weapon.

Authorities further stated that mobile content from all four suspects’ Instagram accounts contained material promoting jihad, “Ghazwa-e-Hind”, and incitement to violence against Indian democratic institutions.

“The aim of this propaganda was to undermine Indian democracy by urging the establishment of a Sharia-compliant or alternate Islamic governance through armed violence,” officials said.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the ATS is auditing 25 sensitive and 62 related Instagram accounts.

Cases have been registered against the accused under Sections 13, 18, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.