A Lucknow-based Shia organisation has announced a bounty of ₹5 crore on five terror heads including Islamic State Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The move in turn might aggravate tensions between the Shias and Sunnis in Uttar Pradesh.
All India Shia Hussaini Fund (AISHF) has placed a reward of ₹1 crore each on heads of IS chief Baghdadi, Taliban chief Mullah Umar, al-Qaeda chief al-Zawahiri, Jamaat-u-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen chief Azhar Masood.
"We feel that these terrorists do not deserve to live. They are killers of humanity and innocent persons of all the castes," Deccan Chronicle quoted AISHF Secretary General Syed Hasan Mehdi.
The decision to announce bounty on the terror heads was taken on 6 September in a meeting, where it was also agreed that posters would be put up in several cities across the country to declare the reward. The organistaion plans to raise the fund from five crore Muslims.
"At the meeting of our all India executive on September 6, we discussed the matter of putting reward on killing of these five persons heading five organisations involved in terrorism. The resolution was unanimously passed. We will give the reward to those who kill them," Mehdi added.
However, the decision to put posters across Jammu and Kashmir, Lucknow and Hyderabad may add fuel to the existing fire between Shia and Sunni sects, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where they have reportedly indulged in conflicts over several religious and customary reasons.
In addition, Shias have long been trying and making efforts to fight against the IS in Iraq and Syria. On the contrary, there have been reports of Sunni youths from different states joining IS, which is likely to induce tensions in the Muslim community, consequently resulting in violence.
The Intelligence Bureau had earlier alerted India in the backdrop of Iraq unrest and Indian Sunni youths joining IS, and said that India might witness fresh tensions between Shia and Sunni sects.
