A major terror conspiracy has been foiled by Indian security agencies after two ISIS-linked operatives were arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate the judge overseeing the Gyanvapi case — one of the most sensitive heritage disputes in India. The arrests underline the continuing threat posed by radical groups seeking to disrupt India’s judicial process and create communal unrest.
According to reports from India Today and Hindustan Times, the Delhi Police Special Cell apprehended two individuals, Adnan Khan alias Abu Muhammad (20) from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and Mohd Adnan Khan alias Abu Muharib (19) from Delhi’s Sadiq Nagar. Both are suspected of being active members of an ISIS-affiliated network operating across states.
Investigators recovered incriminating material, including timer devices, ISIS flags, and propaganda videos. The suspects had also issued online threats to Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, who has previously presided over the Gyanvapi complex case in Varanasi. One of the accused, using the alias “Best Khilji” on Instagram, had circulated posts calling for violence and declaring that the “blood of kafirs is halal.”
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell confirmed that the duo were planning attacks during the festive season and were in possession of equipment required to build improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“The accused were part of a radicalised network operating online. They were planning large-scale attacks and had been radicalising youth through encrypted channels,” officials told India Today.
The case has now been handed over to a joint interrogation team involving Delhi Police, Madhya Pradesh ATS, and central intelligence agencies.
Targeting Justice
While investigators are still mapping the full network, the intent behind the plot is unmistakable, to threaten the judiciary and stall Hindu heritage cases that are progressing lawfully through Indian courts.
The Gyanvapi case, in particular, has emerged as a flashpoint for radical elements. As courts continue to examine archaeological and historical evidence of the temple’s origins, extremist groups have begun resorting to intimidation tactics. From online death threats to terror plots, the aim is to instil fear among officials and slow down judicial proceedings that could reaffirm Hindu civilisational claims.
This is not the first such incident. The same judge, Ravi Kumar Diwakar, had received threats in 2022 as well, after he ordered a survey of the Gyanvapi premises. The repetition of threats by ISIS-linked actors shows a pattern, the radical fringe now seeks to obstruct justice through violence when legal arguments fail.
A Larger Pattern of Radical Disruption
The arrest of these two operatives highlights the growing coordination between digital radicalisation and domestic sleeper networks. Social media, encrypted apps, and cross-border handlers have made it easier to spread propaganda and recruit youth for extremist causes under the guise of religious duty.
These actors, often inspired by global jihadist narratives, now selectively target cases and institutions linked to Hindu identity, temples, judges, and activists. By attempting to assassinate a sitting judge, the conspirators were not merely planning an act of terror; they were attacking India’s legal system itself, the very process through which truth about ancient Hindu sites is being restored.
The Real Challenge: Strengthening Ground Support
Radical forces operate on one principle, fear. When legal and democratic systems begin to reclaim what is rightfully ours, they attempt to break morale through violence and chaos.
The answer to such threats cannot only come from the state or security agencies. It must also come from societal awareness, public solidarity, and civic courage. Every citizen who values justice and the truth of Bharat’s civilisational heritage must support those engaged in legal and intellectual defence of this cause, judges, historians, lawyers, and researchers.
Supporting the rule of law, staying informed, and rejecting extremist propaganda is itself an act of national duty. The radicals want to silence Hindu assertion through fear; the proper response is to speak with clarity and unity, within the bounds of law.
