MHA forms tribunal to assess ULFA’s status as illegal association

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of the Interior (MHA) established a tribunal to examine whether the United Front for the Liberation of Asom (ULFA) and its associated groups should be classified as a illegal organization. Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Gauhati High Court will preside over the tribunal.
The action, announced by way of gazette notification, uses powers granted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. It comes about a month after the MHA renewed a five-year ban on the ULFA. The government justified the ban by citing the ULFA’s continued efforts to separate Assam from India, its ties to other insurgent groups, and its involvement in extortion and violence.
ULFA was initially banned in 1990, and the ban has been periodically extended, most recently in November 2019. The MHA’s November notification justifying the extension of the ban stated: “ULFA has declared its objective to secession of Assam from India, continued intimidation and extortion for their organization and maintained links with other insurgent groups for the purposes of extortion and violence.
The group possessed illegal arms and ammunition, indulged in 16 criminal cases, including several cases of blasting or planting explosives in Assam during the period from November 27, 2019 to July 1, 2024, and has planted several improvised explosive devices or explosive devices in the run-up to Independence Day, 2024, across Assam.
The MHA also reported the involvement of the ULFA in various criminal activities over the last five years, including the deaths of ULFA members during security operations, arrests, surrenders and recovery of assets. weapons and explosives.
The five-year extension of the ban, effective November 27, 2024, designates the ULFA and its associated groups as an illegal association. The ULFA is one of 17 organizations currently listed as illegal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, including groups like the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Popular Front of India (PFI). The central government has the power to declare any organization illegal in India under this law.