India bans Hizb ut-Tahrir as terrorist group: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Thursday banned Hizb-Ut-Tahrir, an international Islamic organization formed in Jerusalem in 1953 with branches in many parts of the world under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for its involvement in radicalising youth to join violent jihad.

Announcing the decision on X, Union home minister Amit Shah said “Pursuing Narendra Modi Ji’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, the MHA today declared Hizb-Ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation”.

“The outfit is involved in various acts of terror, including radicalizing the gullible youths to join terrorist organizations and raise funds for terror activities, posing a serious threat to the national security and sovereignty of India. The Modi government is committed to securing Bharat by dealing (with) the forces of terror with an iron fist,” Shah added.

In a formal notification, MHA said the outfit was involved “in radicalisation and motivation of gullible youth to join terrorist organisations, such as ISIS, and raising funds for terror activities”.

“Hizb-Ut-Tahrir (HuT) is an organisation which aims to establish Islamic State and caliphate globally including in India by overthrowing democratically elected governments through jihad and terrorist activities by involving citizens of the country, which is a grave threat to the democratic setup and internal security of the country”.

The ministry said HuT is involved in “radicalisation and motivation of gullible youth to join terrorist organisations, such as ISIS and raising funds for terror activities”. The outfit was also promoting terrorism by using various social media platforms and secure apps.

The MHA move comes days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this week launched a crackdown on HuT operatives in Tamil Nadu and arrested a key suspect on charges of spreading disaffection and secessionism by promoting the ideology of HuT.

On Thursday too, the federal agency carried out raids against a HuT operative in Chennai.

HuT was founded in 1953 as an international pan-Islamic group with a long-term goal of establishing a single Islamic government across the Muslim world. The group’s headquarters is in Lebanon and it operates in at least over 30 countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia.

Several countries including Germany, Egypt and the UK have banned HuT for their subversive activities.