Community elders insist that landlords, neighbours, shopkeepers now report if they notice any suspicious activities in their locality.

Rehana Sultana of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University is organising group meetings and public programmes cautioning and advising youth to stay away from terror groups. “We are not only working on improving the image of the minority community but also making efforts to transform the younger generation and keep them away from getting involved with terrorism,” she said. “Youths who are picked up by the police as suspects require the maximum counselling. They are angry and thus vulnerable. There are men whose spouses left them after they were picked up by police. They are our target group,” she said, adding that women of the community are joining her eagerly in her efforts.