Indian security agencies have flagged a coordinated campaign allegedly orchestrated by ISI-backed foreign networks, including Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and the Shahzad Bhatti network, to recruit individuals with criminal backgrounds inside India, incite violence at protests, and weaponise the resulting police response to fuel an anti-India narrative globally, according to intelligence officials.

How the Operation Works

According to an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official, the ISI has directed SFJ and the Bhatti network to operate in tandem on what is described as a 'major operation.' The strategy is calculated: paid recruits — specifically those with prior records for rioting or communal violence — are tasked with infiltrating peaceful protests and instigating clashes. The intent is to provoke a strong law-enforcement response, capture the visuals, and circulate them internationally to portray India as a state that uses excessive force against its own citizens.

'The aim is to malign the image of the country by showing to the world that the police have been given a free hand to act against protesters,' an official said. Persons previously booked for rioting or communal violence are described as 'perfect candidates' for these networks, given their experience in escalating situations.

Funding Routes and Propaganda Infrastructure

Officials say the networks are routing funds to recruits through hawala channels. Additionally, a web of fake charities operating within India has reportedly been instructed to distribute payments to those recruited. On the digital front, these networks have directed operatives to flood platforms such as YouTube with propaganda videos carrying false narratives. According to officials, the volume of such content — driven primarily by Pakistani accounts — surged sharply after Operation Sindoor, reportedly in an effort to obscure the losses suffered by Pakistani forces at the hands of the Indian armed forces.

Geographic Footprint and Targets

Indian agencies have established that these networks are primarily operating out of North America and Europe. The recruitment pool is not random: operatives are specifically seeking individuals with documented histories of criminal violence, making them both easier to radicalise and harder to trace back to the foreign handlers. Officials note that this is not a hurried campaign — it is described as a systematic, long-term effort to gradually shift domestic discourse.

The Broader Strategic Goal

The ultimate objective, according to officials, extends beyond individual incidents. By engineering confrontations and amplifying them through international media, the networks seek to establish a sustained narrative that India is a police state — a framing that could be leveraged diplomatically and in diaspora communities abroad. This comes amid a broader pattern of cross-border information operations that Indian agencies have been tracking for several years, with the tempo reportedly increasing since Operation Sindoor.

Agencies are continuing to monitor the campaign and are working to identify and neutralise both the domestic recruits and the foreign handlers directing them.