Govt bans two terror group; declares one person as terrorist

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

New Delhi, Feb 18, 2023: The Centre on Friday banned two groups and declared an individual a terrorist for their subversive and anti-India activities.

The two groups are the Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF), which has been formed with cadres from terrorist organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed; and the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), which aims to revive terrorism in Punjab.

 

In a separate notification, the home ministry said Punjab-resident Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, who was one of the masterminds behind an attack on the intelligence headquarters of the Punjab Police in 2021, was declared a terrorist.

The JKGF has been involved in infiltration bids, narcotics and weapon smuggling, terror attacks in the Union Territory, and issuing threats to security forces.

The JKGF draws its cadres from various proscribed terrorist organisations, such as the Lashker-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami and others, the home ministry said.

The KTF came into existence in 2011 as an offshoot of the Babbar Khalsa International, a proscribed terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The KTF is a militant outfit and it aims reviving terrorism in Punjab with a view to achieve its agenda of formation of a separate state of Khalistan, and thereby challenges the territorial integrity, unity, national security and sovereignty of India, the home ministry said.

The KTF promotes acts of terrorism, it said, adding investigation agencies have found involvement of its cadres in various terrorist cases, including targeted killings.

Its members in India are receiving financial and logistics support including sophisticated weaponry from their foreign-based handlers, it said.

Sandhu alias Rinda, who is currently based in Lahore and associated with the banned group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), has been declared a terrorist.

Sandhu is alleged to be one of the masterminds behind an attack on the intelligence headquarters of the Punjab Police in 2021.

A Red Corner Notice was also issued against him by the Interpol.

The home ministry said the JKGF has been using various social media platforms to incite the people of Jammu and Kashmir to join terrorist outfits against India.