‘Never Suspected I Was Being Brainwashed’, Atul’s Brush With ISIS

Atul left home and began to feel inclined towards the ISIS when the Pune ATS caught him.

Children read the Koran at a madarsa on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. (Photo: Reuters) 

(This is the story of Atul, a young man who was targeted and radicalised by extremist Islamists in India. He developed an inclination towards the ISIS, but was taken into custody by the Anti-Terrorism Squad before he could act on his beliefs. He has since given up the ideology that had attracted him to the terrorist organisation. This exclusive story by The Quint will be presented in two parts. This is Part I.)

Drawn when he was a teenager, Atul (name changed to protect identity) did not even realise that he was being radicalised, that he had developed an inclination towards the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

When he turned twenty-one, he abruptly abandoned his Hindu family in Pune and left to learn Islam. Even as his father suffered a stroke, Atul learnt Arabic, mastered hadiths, and even changed his identity – got a new name, grew a beard, altered his clothing.

Then one day, fourteen months after he had fled home, he found himself seated in the Pune office of Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), being counselled by a bunch of plain-clothed officers.

We found material in his phone that revealed his inclination towards the ISIS. When his father checked his mobile and handed it over to us, we found that he was looking at ISIS websites; ISIS photographs were in his cell phone, even pictures from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Since he was not involved in anything incriminating yet, he was de-radicalised and reunited with his family.

<b>ACP Bhanupratap Barke, Pune ATS</b>

Intelligence sources say that they closely monitor the internet and social media which is the breeding ground for the ISIS in India. (Photo: The Quint)

The Initiation

Speaking to The Quint from the ATS office in Pune, Atul says that it all started in 2008 when he was pursuing a course in electrical engineering in Maharashtra’s Beed district.

In his class, he met a Muslim boy, a “well-groomed, well-mannered” youth who began to develop his interest in Islam. And as their friendship grew, so did Atul’s inclination towards the religion.

Although I am a Hindu, I was getting answers through him, through his interpretation of Islam. I was able to find myself in his words, in his soft mannerisms, in his polite speech. I knew I was getting drawn to him; it may sound strange, but there was an inexplicable, strong connect. He had a major influence on me. Through him, I joined a couple of WhatsApp groups; I even started four of my own. He introduced me to several people online and our conversations would take place over social networks, chat rooms and private messengers. They would share videos, pictures, and the content was such that I developed an emotional attraction towards the religion.

<b>Atul</b>

Atul met a Muslim boy, a “well-groomed, well-mannered” youth who began to develop his interest in Islam. (Photo: iStockphoto)

The Madarsa in Ahmedabad

For the next five years, Atul delved deeper into his interactions with the men. He did exhaustive research on Islam, was guided towards more people online, and his interest strengthened.

And when his initial curiosity gave way to a full-grown monster, Atul, in July 2014, fled his Pune home. Without a word to his parents, the youngest child in his family had suddenly vanished.

His parents registered a missing person’s complaint, made inquiries with all his friends, his college, searched every acquaintance’s home, but he could not be found. He had fled to Ahmedabad and was now living in a madarsa.

Before leaving for Ahmedabad, I had got in touch with people there over WhatsApp. They told me that they would arrange for my stay, and would teach me all that I needed to learn. When I reached Ahmedabad, I saw that there were several people like me who were looking to get converted, and who had got converted. They were interior designers, engineers, businessmen, even married couples. After spending forty days in Ahmedabad, they sent me to Delhi, and then Uttar Pradesh. In UP, I spent eight months in another madarsa. They taught me Arabic and Urdu; I even learnt the Holy Quran. They would teach us how to behave, how to speak, how to spend our day and the general way of life. I would follow everything, would offer prayers five times a day, even grew a beard, and took on a new identity. I never suspected that I was with the wrong people, or was being brainwashed into doing something inhuman. I was there only to understand Islam, and find myself, and I was happy with what those people had made me.

Photo of the Quran. (Photo: iStockphoto)

After Uttar Pradesh, Atul returned to Ahmedabad where he spent another four months in a madarsa. He was training to become a maulvi.

He was pleased with what Islam had taught him. They were noble teachings. They taught him to speak politely to children, to beat anger, to respect women, to share his possessions with the needy. He was content with his decision of leaving home, of his pursuit of philanthropic nirvana.

But the man, says the ATS, did not realise that he had gradually developed an affinity towards the ISIS, the largest terrorist organisation in the world.

Also read Part II : ‘Unlike ISIS, Islam Teaches Love’, Atul’s Brush With Outfit Ends