India At High Risk As JMB Regroups, Rohingya Crisis Escalates In Bangladesh | Exclusive

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Edited By:

Karishma Jain

Last Updated:March 31, 2025, 17:39 IST

An intelligence note accessed by CNN-News18 warns of JMB’s resurgence in Bangladesh, with Indian agencies also raising alarms over the Rohingya crisis and its potential to fuel radicalisation, infiltration, and unrest in India.

Delhi Police personnel during a campaign to identify Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants residing without valid documentation, in New Delhi, Dec. 24, 2024. (PTI Photo)

India’s intelligence and security agencies are sounding the alarm over two escalating threats emerging from neighbouring Bangladesh — the deteriorating situation in Rohingya refugee camps, and the resurgence of radical terror groups like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Al-Qaeda (AQ), and ISIS. While the former poses serious socio-economic and border security challenges, the latter has direct implications for India’s counter-terror efforts.

CNN-News18 has accessed an exclusive intelligence note on the revival of JMB and its splinter groups, detailing how the relaxation of counter-terror operations under Bangladesh’s new Yunus government has emboldened terror networks targeting Indian interests.

The note reveals that after the release of top terror operatives in Bangladesh, splinter factions of JMB have regrouped and aligned themselves with AQ, ISIS, and ABT (Ansarullah Bangla Team). This same network was behind major attacks such as the 2002 church bombing in Gopalganj, the 2004 attacks targeting the UK and US embassies, the 2005 simultaneous blasts across 63 districts in Bangladesh, the 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka, and two terror strikes in India, including the 2018 Bodh Gaya blasts.

With counter-terror pressure easing under the new regime, many of these cadres have shifted base to South India, Assam, and West Bengal, reactivating old sleeper cells. Intelligence inputs suggest that JMB, ABT, and ISIS are now operating under shared command structures, with a common target: Indian interests, as well as Western allies such as the US and Israel.

HOW THESE GROUPS OPERATE IN INDIA

According to the note, these operatives blend into densely populated Bengali-dominated areas, and work in slaughterhouses, cotton textile hubs, and other inconspicuous sectors. They travel frequently to activate local cells and remain largely self-funded through small madrassas. While no major funding links with AQ core in Syria or Afghanistan have been found, online allegiance rituals and cyber activity have kept them connected to global jihadist movements.

The report also points to meetings between AQ elements and Deoband-linked circles in recent years, adding another layer of concern for Indian security agencies.

BROADER SPILLOVER: ROHINGYA CRISIS MAY DEEPEN INDIA’S WOES

While the JMB threat is addressed in the intelligence note, top Indian agencies are also closely monitoring the worsening situation inside Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps. Violence, poor living conditions, and unchecked abuses have enabled armed groups to function freely, raising fears of radicalisation and militant recruitment.

India’s porous border with Bangladesh—especially in West Bengal and Assam—leaves it vulnerable to large-scale infiltration, both by desperate refugees and potential militants. This may trigger internal security challenges in sensitive regions like Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur.

Moreover, illegal immigration and human trafficking are expected to rise as more Rohingyas seek refuge in India. The influx could increase pressure on India’s administrative and security apparatus, especially in border areas, and spark communal tensions, with right-wing groups already raising concerns about demographic shifts.