India has banned nine organizations based in the hinterland of Jammu and Kashmir since 2019, for their involvement in various unlawful and terror-related activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Two organisations have been declared as ‘Terrorist Organisation’ under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 since 2019– Tahreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) and all its manifestations; Jamat-ulMujahideen Bangladesh or Jamat-ul-Mujahideen India or Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Hindustan and all its manifestation– Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Upper House on behalf of his ministry. Besides, Rai said in a written reply, seven organisations based in the hinterland and Jammu and Kashmir– Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Y), Sikh for Justice and the Popular Front of India– have also been proscribed as Unlawful Associations for involvement in various unlawful and terror-related activities.
“The problem of terrorism in India is largely sponsored from across the border,” said the Minister while replying to a question asked by BJP MP Kartikey Sharma.
“The global terrorist groups and some foreign agencies inimical to India have been making efforts to radicalise people using religion and allure people towards terrorism through the use of social media platforms and the internet,” said the Minister.
Noting that the government has a zero-tolerance policy to tackle terrorism, Rai said “close and effective coordination mechanism exists between intelligence and security agencies at the Centre and state level”.
He said that a Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) has been strengthened and re-organised to enable it to function on a 24X7 basis for real-time collection and sharing of intelligence amongst intelligence agencies and states.
“States have raised special forces to deal with terror incidents and Central Armed Police Forces and National Security Guards have also been stationed at different locations of the country to assist the States in dealing with such incidents,” added the Minister.
He also said that the agencies keep continuous watch on all such elements including those in vulnerable areas and organisations involved in the radicalisation of a particular section of society, whose activities have bearing on the law and order situation and internal security of the country.
In order to curb the menace of terror funding, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 has been strengthened, inter-alia, by criminalizing the production or smuggling or circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes as a terrorist act and enlarging the definition of proceeds of terrorism to include any property intended to be used for terrorism.
Besides, Rai said, a Countering Financing of Terrorism Cell (CFT Cell) has been constituted in the Ministry of Home Affairs for coordination on combating terror funding.
“A Terror Funding and Fake Currency Cell has also been constituted in the National Investigation Agency to conduct a focused investigation into terror funding and fake currency cases.”
Recently, the Minister mentioned India organised the third ‘No Money For Terror’ Ministerial Conference in New Delhi in order to bring the international community on a common platform and consensus building for countering Terrorism Financing.