An Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student was arrested from Aligarh by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) on Wednesday evening, for being allegedly involved in radicalising youth through spreading ISIS ideology to establish the rule of Islam in the country, said senior police officials here.

The officials said it was the eighth arrest in this connection since November 2023, while one accused surrendered in a court recently on January 8.

Uttar Pradesh Police Director General (DG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said the accused was identified as Faizan Bakhtyar, 24, currently staying in AMU’s VM Hall, room number 9.

He added that Bakhtyar’s name surfaced after the arrest of Abdullah Arslan, Maaz bin Tariq and Wajihudeen last year, all linked to the same self-radicalised group.

Thereafter, a reward of Rs 25,000 was announced on his arrest, he said.

The Director General added that the accused was pursuing Master of Social Work from the AMU.

According to the ATS spokesman, they had received intelligence input that some people were carrying out anti-national activities by taking oath of allegiance to ISIS.

After confirming this information and collecting solid evidence, on November 3, 2023, an FIR under various IPC sections and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act was registered by the ATS at its police station in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar.

The ATS officials said Bakhtyar along with his previously arrested associates, was preparing an ISIS module in AMU and adding other people to it, planning to carry out some major terror incident by hatching an anti-national plan.

They added that the recent arrest was in continuation of the crackdown on the terror network operated by a group of self-radicalised ISIS operative associated to Students of Aligarh Muslim University.

They all were involved in propagating the agenda and philosophy of ISIS to establish Islamic rule across the world. They said the group was roping in people into the ISIS network and carrying out nefarious activities.

The officials said the group operated in a closed circle and was suspected of having added many more former university students into the terror network. Some of them were taking instructions from ISIS handlers to carry out terror activities in the state.

The ATS had recovered propaganda material related to the ISIS and Al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent from them in pen drives. This group came under the ATS radar after the arrest of Shahnawaz and Rizwan, associated with a students’ organisation of the AMU by Mumbai ATS earlier this year on October 2.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)