All imams (religious teacher and priests) at madrasas and mosques will have to enlist themselves on a government portal and go through a police verification if they do not belong from the state, said Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Monday.
The action is taken after the arrest of 25 people that includes Bangladeshi nationals in the last four months with connections to Bangladesh-based terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which is related with the Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
On Saturday, police in Goalpara district arrested two imams, Abdus Subhan and Jalaluddin Sheik and found indiscriminating reports, phones and SIM cards connecting them with jihadi outfits like ABT and AQIS.
“Two persons with jihadi links had been arrested. One of them has been found to be a kingpin who besides working as an imam was involved in spreading terror network,” Sarma said.
“We have prepared some standard operating procedures (SOPs) through which residents will have to inform local police about new imams who are from outside the area, so that police can verify their antecedents before they take up work,” he further added.
