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Union Home Ministry Declares Shahzad Bhatti Network a Terrorist Organisation Under UAPA
Confirmed
In Short: The Union Home Ministry has officially designated the Shahzad Bhatti Network as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), placing it on the list of banned terrorist outfits.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a gazette notification invoking Section 35(1)(a) of the UAPA to add the Shahzad Bhatti Network to the First Schedule of the legislation, which contains the names of organisations designated as terrorist groups.
The government's action was based on cases registered against individuals allegedly associated with the network, and the notification formally brings the group within the ambit of the UAPA’s framework for dealing with organisations identified by the Centre as being involved in activities covered by the Act.
The Shahzad Bhatti Network will now be subject to the legal restrictions and provisions applicable to organisations designated as terrorist outfits under the law, as it has been formally included in the First Schedule of the UAPA.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah noted on social media platform X that the network actively destabilised public order through violence and targeted recruitment, and the decision was taken as part of PM Narendra Modi's vision of zero tolerance against terror.
What's confirmed
- The cases have been filed under multiple laws, including the UAPA, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act, Explosives Act and Information Technology Act.
- Check important info The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has officially declared the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) a banned terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
What's still developing
- The notification also referred to cases registered under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act against alleged members of the network.
- Investigators found that the network utilised digital communication channels to spread provocative material.
- Multiple state jurisdictions and federal agencies registered numerous criminal cases against operatives linked to the network.
- In an official Gazette of India notification, the ministry said the objective of the Shahzad Bhatti Network was to involve gullible youth and local criminals to smuggle arms, explosives, and narcotics from across the border, and through terrorist activities, pose a serious threat to the democratic system, communal harmony, and internal security of the country.
- The group is involved in smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics across borders, apart from inciting youths… According to a government statement, the Shahzad Bhatti Network is a Pakistan-based terror syndicate linked to grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks and targeted killings across India.
- "And whereas, the 'Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN)' is promoting terrorism through violent activities that disrupt public order and by using various digital communication platforms to disseminate provocative messages, posing a serious challenge to the integrity of the nation," the notification read.