The arrests of suspected terrorists from various parts of Maharashtra have placed the intelligence and police officials in Maharashtra and neighbouring states on high alert. Police officials believe they may have unearthed a massive conspiracy to destabilise Maharashtra and Gujarat. These events have brought into focus the role of sleeper cells in fermenting terrorism across India.

It all began on 9 May 2006 when police officials arrested three suspected terrorists from Aurangabad on a tip off from Delhi Police, along with a huge arms cache. Over the next few days, the police acquired further evidence leading to the capture of more suspects and arms from other parts of Maharashtra, like Malegaon.

According to news reports, these terrorists are linked to the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) - which was banned for fomenting communal tension in Maharashtra and neighbouring states. Despite this ban, SIMI continued its clandestine activities. Some SIMI members have changed their names and launched new fringe organisations that have associated themselves with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The city of Aurangabad is a major centre of SIMI activity and has been indirectly linked to Al Qaeda through the LeT. Apart from Aurangabad, other places like Nasik figure in LeT's plan as apparent from subsequent arrests.

However, what has surprised the police authorities is the huge arms cache recovered - the biggest since the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts. The police suspect that the consignment was smuggled from Pakistan for being sent to other parts of the country. According to initial reports, the captured terrorists were planning to carry out suicide attacks across Maharashtra. Later reports suggested that their target was Gujarat.

More importantly, the police believe is the establishment of LeT sleeper cells in the country. The LeT had been seeking ways to spread its tentacles beyond J&K to Maharashtra, W. Bengal, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala for two reasons. First, in the post-13 December 2001 period, it was becoming difficult for the terrorist groups to operate from J&K due to sustained pressure from New Delhi. Secondly, the earthquake in October last year destroyed many terrorist camps, weakening the terrorist infrastructure. The United Jehad Council, a conglomeration of terrorist groups, had ordered its cadres to suspend operations in Kashmir at that time. This led groups like the LeT to concentrate on forming sleeper cells.

These cells are basically terrorist groups given training, but instructed to lie low till they are ordered to carry out the terrorist attacks. Forming sleeper cells has not been a difficult task for the LeT following several communal outbursts and the polarisation of communities; hence it has been easy for terrorist groups to lure and enlist Muslim youth for terrorist activities. Moreover, the prevalence of illiteracy with high unemployment means that Muslim youth became a potential resource for the LeT. The recruits to the sleeper cells are first brainwashed by feeding them propaganda about the injustice meted out to members of the community. Then they are given training in handling arms and explosives in Pakistan, where they mostly go via the Dubai route. Routes from Nepal and Bangladesh are also used.

These sleeper cells have systematically penetrated the social fabric of the country to avoid suspicion and arrest. The attack on Ayodhya and Varanasi and the Delhi serial bomb blasts before Diwali are proof of how the sleeper cells are actively engaged in perpetuating terrorist activities. Even though LeT's terrorist activities are small-scale, they are causing further polarisation in Indian society, which they believe will lead to more communal disturbances.

The penetration of the sleeper cells into society poses a problem and a major cause of worry as they are difficult to track down. Since 11 September 2001, this has become a global trend. Even as the US fights against Al Qaeda, the focus of intelligence agencies worldwide has shifted to sleeper cells. According to terrorism expert, Rohan Gunaratna, instead of identifying the sleeper cells, it is essential to prevent the creation of terrorists and target the ideology that is producing them. It is against this background that the Indian law enforcement authorities will have to reformulate their strategies to deal with this menace. For instance, intensive combing operations and greater vigilance in investigating suspicious activities is needed. Already, taking cognisance of this threat; the Maharashtra government has decided to set up two anti-terrorist squads - in Aurangabad and Nagpur. Only continuous vigilance by the people and the state will address this threat.