The Assam government has declared a ban on the possession and circulation of “any radical and jihadi” content associated with banned Bangladesh-based terror outfits, citing internal security and the need to “prevent vulnerable youth from falling prey to extremist propaganda”.
This was declared through an order issued by the state Home & Political Department, which mentions the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Ansar-Al-Islam/pro-AQIS and their affiliated groups, which are proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The order states: “Intelligence inputs, cyber-patrolling reports and recent investigations undertaken by Assam Police and the Special Task Force (STF), Assam indicate the continued circulation, possession, dissemination and digital transmission of radical/jihadi literature, publications, documents and digital propaganda materials linked to the above-mentioned proscribed organisations.”
The Assam police’s special task force has undertaken operations against modules of these outfits operating in the country, most notably ‘Operation Praghat’ launched last year, in which more than a dozen people were arrested from Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.
The order states that this material includes content “glorifying violent jihad, promoting radicalisation, providing ideological indoctrination, and facilitating recruitment, operational guidance, and incitement against the sovereignty of India, thereby posing a grave threat to public order, internal security and communal harmony”.
Invoking Section 98 of the BNSS, the order declares a ban on publication, printing, circulation, distribution, sale, exhibition, possession and storage of “any radical or jihadi literature”, documents or digital content associated with these outfits. This also extends to websites, social media pages, encrypted channels, online groups or digital platforms “propagating such extremist or jihadi content”.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.