Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday declared Khalistan Tiger Force associate Arshdeep Singh Gill alias ‘Arsh Dalla’ a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 for his involvement in heinous crimes such as murder, extortion and targeted killings besides terror activities.

The MHA made the announcement through a notification, stating that a 1996-born, Gill, who is a resident of Jagraon in Punjab’s Ludhiana, is presently based in Canada. Gill is very close to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist under the UAPA and runs terror modules on behalf of him, states the notification.

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As per the notification, Gill is involved in heinous crimes such as murder, extortion and targeted killings besides terror activities. Gill is involved in terror financing, cross border smuggling of drugs or weapons on a large scale and is accused in various cases registered and investigated by the National Investigation Agency including targeted killing, extorting money for terror funding, attempting to murder, disturbing communal harmony and creating terror among the people in the state of Punjab.

The notification said the Central Government believes that Gill is involved in terrorism and he is to be added as a terrorist “in exercise of the powers conferred section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967”.
With his inclusion in the Fourth Schedule under UAPA, Mir will be the 53rd individual to be designated a terrorist, it said.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 has been enacted to provide for more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities and for matters connected therewith.

The Centre uses clause (a) of sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 to add the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule to the Act, if it believes that he is involved in terrorism.