The cyber wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs has intercepted articles and images posted on a Telegram channel which it says is pro-ISIS and supports the establishment of sharia in Jammu and Kashmir, sources have told the Zee group.

The Telegram channel, the MHA sources say, was created on September 23, 2017, renamed on October 3, 2017, and has 223 members. A Telegram channel is similar to a WhatsApp group. 

The MHA report adds that VeraCrypt, a program used to encrypt files and disks, was also posted on the channel. As was content related to lone-wolf attacks and techniques explaining the usage of explosives.

The report adds that a hashtag in support of Islamic State has been doing the rounds of social media in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The report says the hashtag was used in 2014 when the IS was active in Iraq and Syria and that, as per analysis on Facebook, usage of the hashtag has seen a tenfold increase in 2017.

The sources said the MHA has instructed security agencies to identify the administrator of the channel and take action.

For security reasons, the Zee group has decided not to disclose the name of pro-IS Telegram channel.

The cyber wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs has intercepted articles and images posted on a Telegram channel which it says is pro-ISIS and supports the establishment of sharia in Jammu and Kashmir