Hamas is reportedly reaching out to a loosely organised Bangladeshi radical group called Tawhidi Janata to expand its ideological footprint in Bangladesh, according to intelligence officials. Indian security agencies are closely monitoring the development, which they warn could eventually allow Hamas's influence to spill over into India.

The Hamas South Asia Push

According to officials, Hamas has been systematically building a presence across South Asia, having already established links in Pakistan with the reported support of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The Palestine-based terror group is now said to be eyeing Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as its next targets. Critically, officials say Hamas does not intend to operate directly in these countries — instead, it prefers to work through smaller, harder-to-track local outfits.

Who Is Tawhidi Janata

The Tawhidi Janata is an unorganised radical group operating out of Bangladesh that has been active for several years, resurfacing periodically. It claims its primary objective is to defend Islamic monotheism. The group has previously been implicated in attacks on Sufi institutions, shrines, and Baul gatherings in Bangladesh.

'There is no proper organisational structure, and the ideology it follows remains difficult for agencies to clearly define. It is essentially a loose grouping of radicalised youth who come together to preach a violent interpretation of Islam,' an official said.

The group has no fixed ideological allegiance — at various points, its members have been seen backing both the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. In recent months, however, the outfit has increasingly propagated the Palestine cause, extending vocal support to Hamas. Officials say this ideological drift closely aligns with Hamas's current narrative, making Tawhidi Janata a convenient vehicle for the terror group's agenda.

The Intelligence Picture

An Intelligence Bureau official confirmed there is now concrete intelligence suggesting Hamas is actively reaching out to Tawhidi Janata. 'It would rely on smaller groups to spread its agenda,' the official said. The group's members are reportedly aligned with several banned outfits, including the Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami in Bangladesh (HuJI).

What makes the outfit particularly difficult to monitor, officials say, is its deliberately unstructured mode of operation. 'They do not depend on terror modules or sleeper cells, and this makes tracking their activities even harder,' officials noted. Security analysts describe this as a feature rather than a flaw — the group's amorphous nature provides plausible deniability and complicates surveillance.

On-Ground Activity and India's Concern

In recent months, flags of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have repeatedly been displayed openly in Bangladesh, with several incidents traced back to Tawhidi Janata members. The group has also launched a street-level and social media campaign centred on the alleged persecution of Muslims, with a particular focus on Palestine — a campaign officials say mirrors Hamas's own messaging strategy.

Indian agencies are particularly concerned because Hamas's stated objective is not to conduct routine attacks in Bangladesh but to embed its ideology across the country — and ultimately allow that influence to permeate into India. Officials describe the Tawhidi Janata–Hamas alignment as a 'dangerous development' for the national security of both Bangladesh and India.