Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Centre has declared the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He said the decision was taken in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism.
"The group is involved in smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics across borders, apart from inciting youths and petty criminals into terrorism. Targeting India's democratic structure and the fabric of communal harmony, the syndicate also published hateful digital content," Shah said in a post on X.
A gazette notification issued by the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday invoked Section 35(1)(a) of the UAPA to add "Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN)" to the First Schedule of the Act, which lists organisations designated as terrorist groups. The Centre said the action was taken based on its assessment that SBN was involved in "terrorism and has participated in various acts of terrorism in India."
"'Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN)' is an organisation whose objective is 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 notification said.
The notification cited criminal cases registered against alleged SBN members under laws including the UAPA, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, Explosives Act, Information Technology Act and Prevention of Defacement of Property Act. It said the SBN was involved in "radicalising gullible youth" through various allurements, motivating them to engage in anti-national activities and mobilising resources for such acts in collusion with other banned outfits and similarly designated entities.
"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.
The move comes nearly a month after a coordinated operation was carried out across 14 states to disrupt the SBN terror network and thwart its plans for subversive attacks ahead of Independence Day. The operation resulted in 253 detentions and more than 200 arrests, with over 80 FIRs registered against alleged SBN operatives.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) said on August 12 that the multi-state operation was conducted in coordination with state police forces using a real-time intelligence-sharing system. The 253 detentions included 62 in Uttar Pradesh, 52 in Haryana, 51 in Delhi, 44 in Punjab, 15 in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra, five in Uttarakhand, three each in Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar, and two each in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Fresh FIRs were registered in Delhi and Karnataka.
According to the MHA, SBN, described as a Pakistan-based ISI-backed terror syndicate, is linked to grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks and targeted killings across India. The group has also been accused of paying local conduits to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence and religious sites and install CCTV cameras for espionage. Under the UAPA, inclusion in the First Schedule formally designates an organisation as "terrorist" under Indian law. With the latest addition, SBN becomes the 46th organisation on the list.
