New Delhi, Dec 24: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has established an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to assess whether there is adequate justification to classify the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), along with all associated factions, wings, and front organizations, as an unlawful association.
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The tribunal will be led by Justice Michael Zothankhuma from the Gauhati High Court, as indicated in a gazette notification released by the MHA.
This action is part of the MHA’s enforcement of the powers granted by sub-section (1) of section 5 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967).
The Ministry decided to form this tribunal approximately one month after extending the ban on ULFA for an additional five years due to its ongoing efforts to achieve Assam’s secession from India and its connections with other insurgent groups involved in extortion and violence.
ULFA was initially banned in 1990, with the ban being renewed periodically. The most recent ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 was imposed on November 27, 2019.
In the notification issued at the end of November, the MHA clearly stated that ULFA and all its factions, wings, and front organizations were engaged in activities that threaten India’s sovereignty and integrity.
“ULFA has stated its intention to separate Assam from India, has continued to intimidate and extort funds for its operations, and has maintained links with other insurgent groups for extortion and violence. The organization has illegally possessed arms and ammunition and has been involved in 16 criminal cases, including numerous incidents of explosions or the planting of explosives in Assam from November 27, 2019, to July 1, 2024. They have also planted multiple improvised explosive devices in anticipation of Independence Day 2024 across Assam,” the notification detailed.
Over the past five years, the MHA noted that three ULFA militants were killed in encounters with law enforcement, 15 cases were registered against its members, three chargesheets were filed, and three members were prosecuted.
The Ministry also mentioned that ULFA was tied to 27 additional criminal activities, with 56 of its cadres arrested and 63 surrendering. Additionally, 27 firearms, 550 rounds of ammunition, nine grenades, and two improvised explosive devices were confiscated from ULFA members, as reported by the MHA.
“In accordance with the powers vested by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the central government hereby designates ULFA and all its factions, wings, and front organizations as an unlawful association for five years, effective from November 27, 2024,” the notification stated.
ULFA is among the 17 organizations currently listed as unlawful associations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 by the MHA.
Other organizations included in this classification are the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), various Meitei extremist organizations such as: (i) Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) along with its political wing, the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF); (ii) United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its military arm, the Manipur Peoples’ Army (MPA); (iii) Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing, known as the ‘Red Army’; (iv) Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its own armed wing, also referred to as the ‘Red Army’; (v) Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL); (vi) Coordination Committee (CorCom); and (vii) Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK).
Additionally, the list includes the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) [NSCN (K)], Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Mohd, Yasin Malik faction), Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Popular Front of India (PFI) along with its affiliates including the Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala. Other groups like Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction)/ (MLJK-MA), and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Jammu and Kashmir (TeH) are also on the list of unlawful associations as per UAPA.
Under the authority granted by Sub-Section (1) of Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government has the power to designate any organization as an unlawful association, which is applicable nationwide. (Agencies)
