The central government has decided to ban the Meghalaya-based terrorist group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
In a notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today said that the HNLC along with all its factions, wings and frontal organisations have been openly declaring the secession of the state’s areas, which are largely inhabited by Khasi and Jaintia tribals, from the Indian Union as one of its key objectives.
Home Ministry bans Meghalaya-based insurgent group HNLC
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“It continues to intimidate and bully civilians to extort funds, maintains links with other insurgent groups of the Northeast to carry out acts of extortion and intimidation, and maintains camps in Bangladesh to give sanctuary and training to its cadre”, said the ministry also opinioning that HNLC’s activities are detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Listing the innumerable incidents of violence carried out by the HNLC in recent past that include several instances of murder, kidnap and illegal weapons, the MHA said: “If these are not immediately curbed and controlled, the HNLC will regroup and rearm itself, expand its cadre base, procure sophisticated weapons, cause loss of lives of civilians and security forces, and accelerate its anti-national activities”.
#Exclusive #Breaking | Meghalaya based insurgent group HNLC banned under UAPA. TIMES NOW accesses the MHA notification.
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“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), (hereinafter referred to as the said Act), the central government hereby declares the HNLC, along with all its factions, wings and front organisations as unlawful association,” the notification read.
The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) is a terrorist organization operating in Meghalaya. It claims to be fighting for a sovereign homeland for the tribal Khasi-Jaintia population of Meghalaya and aims to free the state from the alleged domination of the Garo tribe (an indigenous Tibeto-Burman ethnic group) and the outsiders from the Indian mainland.
HNLC was first banned on November 16, 2000, but the ban was lifted later.
