ISI-backed Bhatti network targets UP youth for anti-India social media campaign
New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) The Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti network has been using social media extensively to recruit more youth, with Uttar Pradesh emerging as its primary focus. Recent investigations have revealed that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed network has been scouting for youth in the state by promising them money and power.
Officials say the Bhatti network is attempting to build an army of social media operatives to carry out a massive disinformation campaign against the Indian state. The network seeks to recruit Indian youth who can amplify propaganda and spread disinformation across social media platforms.
An Intelligence Bureau official said the Bhatti syndicate is seeking to exploit vulnerable youth and recruit them into its network. “This network operates behind the scenes and is tasked with exploiting vulnerabilities and sensitive issues in India with the clear intention of inciting violence,” the official said.
The network has been told to focus on youth-centric issues and amplify them by running a disinformation campaign, officials say.
According to officials, Bhatti runs several India-centric campaigns through specialised modules tasked with targeted killings, gathering sensitive information and carrying out terror attacks. However, the network being built in Uttar Pradesh is considered particularly dangerous as it is dedicated solely to waging a large-scale disinformation campaign against the Indian state.
The Bhatti network carefully selects the youth it seeks to recruit. According to officials, it targets those who are not only in need of money but are also looking for recognition and acceptance in society. Such individuals are considered particularly vulnerable and are often drawn to the promise of influence and power. To attract them, the network has created social media handles carrying messages such as, “You are a brave shooter” and “None are more powerful than you.”
Such handles tend to attract disgruntled youth into joining such modules. These youth are offered a paltry sum of Rs 5,000 to be part of the module. They are promised power as well as arms and ammunition to be part of this module. Once recruited, the youth are told to continuously post messages against the Indian State on social media. They are also instructed to scout for more youth locally so that they can be recruited into the module.
Officials say that the worrying trend is that the Bhatti network is targeting juveniles and teenagers to be part of the network. Such modules in Uttar Pradesh are reportedly being formed in Mathura, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Meerut. The recruitments that are taking place are under the lens of the Indian security agencies.
Out here, the Bhatti network has targeted youth from multiple walks of life. There are some who are tech-savvy, while others are good at using social media. There are also a good number of youths who are disgruntled and need money and also approval from society.
“These are the most vulnerable lot,” an official said, adding, “and also can become the most dangerous elements in the module.”
An official said that these social media-driven modules are aimed at tapping into issues that are facing the country. They are fed with false information about India and then instructed to post the same on social media at regular intervals.
On one hand, the Bhatti syndicate wants to run a massive disinformation campaign, while on the other hand, it wants these modules to operate through a decentralised structure. They would be self-sustaining modules that would eventually operate on their own with no instructions from Pakistan.
The scale at which this module is being built has prompted the police to strengthen its outreach programme, which involves local communities and families.
An official said that raising parental awareness is the key to preventing the youth from falling into the trap and being part of such modules. The vulnerable youth who are the targets of the Bhatti syndicate are being promised easy money and sensitive responsibilities.
“Such youth do not understand the broader implications of such offers and end up becoming the foot soldiers for the ISI-backed forces,” an official said.
They said that the Bhatti syndicate is one of the most unique challenges that the Indian agencies have had to deal with. It is the scale at which he operates that is worrisome.
Despite multiple busts, the syndicate continues to recruit youth across the country and is showing no signs of stopping. To battle this syndicate, the agencies would need to ramp up Intelligence gathering, social media scanning, and also carry out a massive outreach programme to advise the youth against joining such networks, an official said.
–IANS
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