Assets of cadre to be seized, accounts to be freezed
*3 more outfits, individual being banned shortly
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 17: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today declared two more militant outfits and an individual as terrorists for their involvement in terror and anti-India activities taking total number of banned outfits to 44 even as there were reports that three more organizations and an individual fanning terrorism will also be declared outlawed shortly.
Two outfits which were banned through an order issued by the Union Home Ministry are Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF) which has presence in the Union Territory, mainly in the Valley and some parts of the Jammu region; and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), which is trying to revive terror in neighbouring Punjab State.
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Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rindha, the mastermind of attack on the Intelligence headquarters of the Punjab Police in 2021, who is based in Lahore and is associated with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) has been declared as individual terrorist. Rindha has become 54th individual terrorist to be banned by the Centre.
The JKGF is involved in a series of subversive activities across Jammu and Kashmir and a number of its modules were busted in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch earlier. The terror group generally draws its strength from Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfits.
Assets of its cadre will be attached across Jammu and Kashmir after completion of legal formalities, sources said, adding the bank accounts linked to them will also be freezed.
The Resistance Front (TRF), which is also an offshoot of the LeT outfit, was banned sometime back by the Union Home Ministry followed by more outfits and individuals
The JKGF has been involved in infiltration bids, narcotics and weapon smuggling, terror attacks in the Union Territory, and issuing threats to security forces.
A notification issued by the Union Home Ministry declaring the JKGF as outlawed, said: “the JKGF draws its cadres from various proscribed terrorist organisations, such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami and other organizations”.
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.
The terror group is detrimental to national security and the sovereignty of India and is involved in terrorism. It has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in the country, the notification said.
In exercise of powers conferred by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the JKGF and KTF have been designated as terror groups, the notification stated.
The JKGF is the 43rd and KTF 44th terror group to be declared outlawed under the anti-terror law.
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 as an individual 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 further said Harwinder Singh Sandhu has direct links with Pakistan-based terrorist groups and is also involved in cross-border smuggling of arms, ammunition and militant hardware, besides drugs on a large scale.
He was involved in various criminal offences like murder, attempt to murder, contract killing, robbery and extortion in Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the Ministry said.
Singh is now the 54th individual to be designated as a terrorist by the Government. Last month, the Central Government had banned two proxy organisations of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad and declared four individuals as terrorists.
Sources said three more terror outfits and an individual could be banned shortly by the Home Ministry. Details about their activities are being gathered before declaring them as outlawed.
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