India releases list of organisations declared ‘unlawful’ over past five years—Full list here

The Government of India on Monday provided a list of organisations that have been declared unlawful associations over the past five years.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated that the government follows a “zero-tolerance policy” toward any unlawful activities that threaten the nation’s sovereignty, unity, integrity, or security.

List of organisations declared as unlawful associations during the last 5 years:

1. Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI)

2. United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)

3. All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF)

4. Meitei Extremist Organizations, namely-

(i) Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing, the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF)

(ii) United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples' Army (MPA)

(iii) Peoples' Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its Armed wing, the 'Red Army'.

(iv) Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing, also called the 'Red Army'

(v) Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL)

(vi) Coordination Committee (CorCom) and

(vii) Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK) National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)

5. National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)

6. Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HLNC)

7. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

8. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) [NSCN (K)]

9. Islamic Research Foundation (IRF)

10. Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jammu and Kashmir

11. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Mohd. Yasin Malik faction) (JKLF-Y)

12. Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)

13. Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates or affiliates or fronts including Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.

14. Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP)

15. Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction)/ (MLJK-MA)

16. Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Jammu and Kashmir (TeH)

17. Muslim Conference Jammu and Kashmir (Bhat faction) (MCJK-B)

18. Muslim Conference Jammu and Kashmir (Sumji faction) (MCJK-S)

19. Jammu Kashmir National Front (JKNF)

20. Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League (JKPFL)

21. Four factions of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League (JKPL), namely: JKPL (Mukhtar Ahmed Waza), JKPL (Bashir Ahmad Tota), JKPL (Ghulam Mohammad Khan @Sopori) and JKPL (Aziz Sheikh) led by Yaqoob Sheikh

22. Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM)

23. Awami Action Committee (AAC)

Meanwhile, Nityanand Rai said, “The Government of India maintains a ‘Zero-tolerance policy’ against any form of unlawful activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty, unity, integrity, and security of the nation.”

He added that the Government of India has taken continuous and stringent action against various organisations found to be involved in unlawful activities in accordance with the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Accordingly, in the last five years, the Government has declared 23 organizations as Unlawful Associations, MoS Rai noted.

Scope of ISIS Investigation Research Cell in NIA broadened

The government has greatly enhanced India’s counter-terrorism research and investigative capabilities by expanding the mandate of a unit within the NIA to cover all global theatres of terrorism, PTI reported.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Nityanand Rai said on Tuesday that the NIA's ISIS Investigation Research Cell (IIRC), set up in 2018, has been renamed as the Counter Terrorism Research Cell (CTRC), with an aim to include all theatres of terrorism.

"The Government has created ISIS Investigation Research Cell (IIRC) in NIA in January, 2018 and broadened its scope to other theatres of terrorism and renamed it as Counter Terrorism Research Cell (CTRC)," Rai said.

The move signals a strategic shift to analyse and counter a wider role of extremist and terrorist threats, beyond the specific challenge posed by the Islamic State (ISIS).

It may be mentioned that in 2019, the NIA, which was set up after the 26/11 Mumbai attack, was allowed to investigate scheduled offences committed outside India, subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries.

Giving details of steps taken to strengthen the NIA, Rai said the agency has a total of 1,901 posts at present, of which 769 have been sanctioned over the last five years.

"Further, the mandate of NIA has also been expanded to investigate offences related to Explosive Substances Act, 1908, human trafficking, cyber terrorism and Arms Act, 1959. Footprint of NIA has been expanded pan India, by establishing 21 branch offices in different parts of the country, with 02 Zonal Offices (in Guwahati and Jammu) and Headquarter at Delhi," the minister said in his reply.

He said the NIA probes and prosecutes offences affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, friendly relations with foreign states, matters relating to international treaties etc. specified in the schedule to the NIA Act, 2008.

(With inputs from agencies)