HT Digital
SHILLONG, MAY 23: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) court has affirmed the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) action of extending the ban on the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) by another five years, declaring it to remain an “unlawful association.” This action renews a restriction that began in November 2000, the latest extension having been issued in December 2024.
The HNLC, an insurgent group based in Meghalaya and established in 1995, purports to promote the “self-determination of the Khasis” and freedom from what it terms “authoritarian Indian rule.” The outfit has traditionally stood as a champion of tribal rights and indigenous identity within the state.
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In its memorandum to the tribunal, the MHA laid out comprehensive intelligence, citing that 15 to 20 functional cadres of HNLC, including prominent leaders such as General Secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw and Bobby Marwein, are presently based in Maulvi Bazar in Bangladesh. The members were seen using Bangladeshi SIM cards and WhatsApp for facilitating extortion drives against Meghalaya businesspersons.
The ministry also observed that the HNLC remains engaged in violent activities like armed insurgency, kidnappings, arms running, and extortions. It has operational and training connections with other insurgent organizations like the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) and was formerly a constituent of the wider United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia.
A significant concern raised by the MHA is the HNLC’s use of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to radicalize and recruit local youth. Authorities have arrested several individuals across various districts who were allegedly acting as overground workers for the group. Even after the MHA sent a formal notice to WhatsApp in February 2024 under Section 91 of the CrPC for data pertaining to threat messages from Bangladeshi numbers, there has been no response till now.
Between November 16, 2019, and June 30, 2024, the law-enforcement agencies filed 48 criminal cases against HNLC members, nine of them concerning improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In these three years and seven months, 73 cadres were nabbed, three surrendered, and a collection of arms were recovered—14 firearms, 2,741 ammunition rounds, 23 detonators, and one hand grenade.
Rendering the final judgment of the tribunal, Justice Soumitra Saikia stated, “The HNLC continues to indulge in armed insurgency and illegal activities with the purpose of infringing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.”
The sustained proscription is viewed as a key move in the overall strategy of the central government to fight insurgency in the Northeast and stem extremist propaganda and recruitment.
