Ministry of home affairs bans pan-Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir in India
Subhashis Mittra
Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), set up in 1953 in Jerusalem, has been banned in India after the ministry of home affairs (MHA) found that the global pan-Islamic group was resorting to terrorist activities to establish Islamic state globally, including in India. The ban will be effective on HuT and all its manifestations and front organisations.
An official notification issued by the MHA said, ‘The outfit is involved in various acts of terror, including radicalising the gullible youths to join terrorist organisations 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 the forces of terror with an iron fist.’ Sharing the official notification on X, the office of Union home minister Amit Shah said that the MHA has declared Hizb-Ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation ‘pursuing PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism’.
According to a security expert, proscribing HuT will ensure that anyone who belongs to it or invites support for it will face consequences. Moreover, it will curb the outfit’s ability to operate freely. The security establishment in North Block believes that HuT was promoting terrorism by using various social media platforms and secure apps. It was engaged in holding ‘Dawah’ meetings to encourage gullible youth to indulge in acts of terrorism.
The MHA notification described HuT as an organisation seeking to overthrow democratically elected governments through jihad and terrorist activities, which pose a grave threat to the democratic setup and internal security of the country. Banning the group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, the notification said, ‘…the central government believes that HuT is involved in terrorism and has participated in various acts of terrorism in India.’
Perhaps, MHA’s action was prompted by the nabbing of a HuT activist by National Investigation Agency (NIA). In a press release, NIA said that Faizul Rahman, state ‘amir’ of HuT in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, was arrested in the case relating to a conspiracy involving spread of disaffection and secessionism. The NIA took over the case from the Chennai police in July 2024. As many as seven accused have so far been arrested by the NIA in the case in which they are alleged to have been seeking military assistance from Pakistan to liberate Kashmir. The NIA said that the ulterior motive of the conspiracy was to establish Khilafat by overthrowing the government of India.
By imposing the ban, India has joined the likes of Germany, Egypt, the UK and several Central and West Asian countries that have proscribed HuT for their subversive activities. The Sunni Islamist political group is active in Bangladesh also. Although the HuT was banned in Bangladesh in October 2009, its supporters keep propagating their ideology to implement Sharia globally. Following the release of several terrorist leaders and radicals in Bangladesh, the HuT has urged Bangladesh’s interim government to lift the ban imposed on it by Sheikh Hasina’s administration. It cited the recent lifting of the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami as a precedent. JuT is headquartered in Lebanon and operates in at least over 30 countries including the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.