Govt bans Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh terror outfit

The government has declared the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is involved in Burdwan and Gaya bomb blasts, as a banned organisation that is planning to spread its network in India with an overarching motive to establish Caliphate in the subcontinent.

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) issued a notification on Thursday on the JMB, which came into being in 1998 with the objective of establishing an Caliphate through jihad, claiming it has committed acts of terrorism, promoted acts of terrorism and have been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youths for terrorist activities in India.

"The JMB was engaged in recruitment and raising funds for terrorist activities, procurement of explosives/chemicals and assembling of Improvised Explosives Devices," it said adding JMB cadre were involved in the October 2014 Burdwan bomb blast and January 2018 Bodh Gaya blast.

The Assam Police have also found the involvement of the JMB in five cases registered by them and 56 accused belonging to the banned outfit were arrested.

"Investigations have also revealed JMB’s plan of making permanent bases within 10 kilometres along the Indo-Bangladesh border in the districts of states of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura and plans of spreading its network in South India with an overarching motive to establish Caliphate in the Indian subcontinent," the notification said.

"The central government believes that the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh or Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India or Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Hindustan and all their manifestations are involved in terrorism as they have committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India," it added.

Invoking relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the notification said, the central government amended the First Schedule to the Act, to put the outfit in the list of banned terrorist outfits.