Source:

MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base (India) [ID 7831]

Databank of global terrorist incidents and organisations

Document(s): Open document

Source:

Background information on extremist & military groups in India [ID 7832]

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06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Insurgency-related deaths ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19762]

"Through December 18, SATP reported the following deaths as a result of insurgency-related violence: 91 civilians, 37 security forces, and 42 militants killed in Assam; 103 civilians, 37 security forces and 136 militants killed in Manipur; 10 civilians, one security force member, and 80 militants killed in Nagaland; 11 civilians, 19 security forces, and 30 militants killed in Tripura."

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13.12.2006 - Source: Asian Centre for Human Rights

Violations of International Humanitarian Laws by the AOGs ("SAARC Human Rights Report 2006") [ID 18435]

Torture, Killings, Killings of "police informers", Killing of political party activists, Abductions, Extortion

"Majority of the armed opposition groups were responsible for violations of international humanitarian laws during 2005. The armed opposition groups banned by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act, 1967 were United Liberation Front of Assam, National Democratic Front of Bodoland, People's Liberation Army, United National Liberation Front, People's Revolutionary party of Kangleipak, Kangleipak Communist Party, Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup, Manipur People's Liberation Front, Revolutionary People's Front, All Tripura Tiger Force, National Liberation Front of Tripura, Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, Achik National Volunteer Council, Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, International Sikh Youth Federation, Lashkar-E-Taiba/ Pasban-E-Ahle Hadis, Jaish-E-Mohammed/ Tahrik-E-Furqan, Harkat-Ul-Mujahideen/ Harkat-Ul-Ansar/ Karkat-Ul-Jehad-E-Islami, Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen/ Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen Pri Panjal Regiment, Al-Umar-Mujahideen, Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front, Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Students Ismalic Movement of India, Deendar Anjuman, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-People's War and all its formation and front organizations, Maoist Communist Centre and all its formations and front organizations, Al Badr, Jamiat-Ul-Mujahideen, A-Qaida, Dukhtaran-E-Millat, Tamil Nadu Liberation Army, Tamil National Retrieval Troops, and Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj.
According to the 2005 Annual Report of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India, during 2005, a total of 1466 civilians were killed by the armed opposition groups, including 557 in Jammu and Kashmir, 393 in the North East and 516 in the Naxalite affected States."

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23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

Annual Report 2006 - Human rights violations by armed groups ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 17248]

"There were reports of abuses – including torture, attacks and killings of civilians – by armed groups in Jammu and Kashmir, the north-east and several central and eastern states where left-wing armed groups were becoming increasingly active. (See Jammu and Kashmir above.) In November, during elections in Bihar, Maoists (naxalites) attacked the Jehanabad prison. More than 340 prisoners, including key Maoist leaders, were freed. Eight prisoners belonging to a private army of dominant landed castes, Ranvir Sena, were killed and 20 others kidnapped. Following the upsurge in the activities of left-wing armed groups in several states, the government set in motion plans for joint inter-state anti-naxalite operations. These initiatives raised concerns over the rights and safety of adivasi populations who traditionally inhabit the area. In July, there was an attack on the disputed religious site at Ayodhya. Later in October, during the run-up to the annual festival season, Delhi was rocked by a series of blasts which left 66 people dead and more than 220 injured."

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10.05.2006 - Source: Asian Centre for Human Rights

No succour for the victims of the armed opposition groups in India ("No succour for the victims of the armed opposition groups in India") [ID 15661]

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08.2005 - Source: Freedom House

Annual survey of political rights and civil liberties 2004 ("Freedom in the World 2005") [#41316],  [ID 7833]

"[...]In India's seven northeastern states, more than 40 mainly tribal-based insurgent groups, who seek either greater autonomy or complete independence for their ethnic or tribal groups, sporadically attack security forces and engage in intertribal violence. The rebel groups have also been implicated in numerous bombings, killings, abductions, and rapes of civilians. Rebel positions were weakened by an operation launched by Bhutan in December 2003 to drive a number of groups out of its territory; during the raids, more than 1,000 rebels were either killed or taken into custody by Indian forces. However, violence continued throughout 2004; a series of bombs planted by various groups in early October killed at least 46 people. In a number of states, left-wing guerrillas called Naxalites control some rural areas and kill dozens of police, politicians, landlords, and villagers each year. Police also continued to battle the People's War Group (PWG), a guerilla organization that aims to establish a Communist state in the tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. Nevertheless, in October, the Andhra Pradesh state government held a first set of direct talks with the PWG aimed at ending the decades-old conflict.[...]"

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25.05.2005 - Source: Amnesty International

reports of abuses – including torture, attacks and killings of civilians – by armed groups in a number of states ("Annual Report 2005") [#32264],  [ID 7834]

"[...]There were reports of abuses – including torture, attacks and killings of civilians – by armed groups in a number of states in the north-east as well as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. In Jammu and Kashmir, members of opposition groups were responsible for targeted killings of civilians. Victims included relatives of state officials and people suspected of working for the government. The use of explosives led to indiscriminate killings of civilians. [...]"

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06.11.2004 - Source: BBC News

Manipur: 2 Indian soldiers and 13 rebels killed and 34 insurgents captured by Indian army during its operation against rebel bases in the state; meanwhile Myanmar sealed its border to prevent the rebels from escaping ("Indian army crackdown on rebels") [#26842],  [ID 7835]

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12.10.2004 - Source: South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Ordinance contains notable improvements to the POTA, but also include verbatim provisions from the POTA that were repeatedly misused and adds provisions which further erode the rights of the accused ("The Reincarnation of POTA - Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Ordinance is POTA’s Second Coming [HRF/106/04]") [#26387],  [ID 7836]

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10.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

Militant / guerilla groups ("Country Report - October 2004") [#28325],  [ID 7837]

"[...]6.141According to the US Department of State Report 2003 (USSD), “Separatist guerrillas were responsible for numerous, serious abuses, including killing of armed forces personnel, police, Government officials, and civilians; torture; rape; and other forms of brutality. Separatist guerrillas also were responsible for kidnapping and extortion in Jammu and Kashmir and the north eastern States. Insurgency and ethnic violence is a problem in the seven north eastern States”. [2c](p2)The same report continues, “The main insurgent groups in the north east included two factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in Nagaland; Meitei extremists in Manipur; the ULFA and the Bodo security force in Assam; and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) in Tripura. The proclaimed objective of many of these groups was secession. Their stated grievances against the Government range from charges of neglect and indifference to the widespread poverty of the region, to allegations of active discrimination against the tribal and non-tribal people of the region by the central Government”. [2c](p5)

6.142 The USSD 2003 reported that, “Militant groups continued to attack civilians. For example, in August [2003] unknown persons killed 52 persons by detonation of a car bomb in Bombay”.[2c](p6) In September 2003, the BBC published an article reporting that the Indian police had shot dead a man that they suspected was responsible for the August bombing and killing of 52 people. [32en] (p.1-3) The report continues, “Four people have so far been charged in connection with the 25 August blasts under India's tough anti-terror laws…All four are members of the minority Muslim community and are local to Bombay, India’s financial capital, police said. But they said they belonged to a little known group allegedly motivated by a sense of grievance about last year’s communal violence in the neighbouring state of Gujarat…India has blamed the attacks on an outdated Islamic militant group – Lashkar – e – Toiba – in the Pakistani controlled part of the disputed territory of Kashmir.” [32en] (p.1-3) [...]"

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04.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

Special Armed Forces / Terrorist Acts ("Country Report - April 2004") [#22427],  [ID 7838]

"5.24 According to the United Nations Background 1998, The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 was enacted at a time when India was faced with the activities of insurgents in the border areas on the eastern frontier of the country. According to the US Department of State report for 2003, The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) of 1958 remained in effect in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and parts of Tripura, and a version of this law was in effect in Jammu and Kashmir. Under this Act, the Government has the power to declare any State or Union Territory a "disturbed area;" allows security forces to fire on any person if it is considered "necessary for maintenance of law and order;" the authorities can arrest any person "against whom reasonable suspicion exists" with no obligation to inform the detainee of the grounds for arrest; and the authorities are given immunity from prosecution for any acts committed by them in relation to the Act. [2c](p12)
5.25 According to the US Department of State report 2003, the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) lapsed in 1995. [2c](p11) According to a UNHCR background paper 1998, the Act prohibited not only "terrorist acts" but also "disruptive activities" which questioned or threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. [6e](p14)
5.26 According to the US Department of State report for 2003, in March 2002 the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) was enacted into law and changed to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). The POTA allows detention without charge for 3 months, and a further 3 months if allowed by a special judge, deems not disclosing information to the authorities about terrorist activities an offence, and provides extensive new powers to ban organisations and seize their assets. The act is similar to the TADA in its provisions for detentions, summary trials, and the use of testimony obtained under duress. In addition, the bill provides for special courts to try offences, place the burden of proof at the bail stage on the accused, allows confessions made to a police officer admissible as evidence, extends the period of remand from 15 to 60 days, and sets mandatory sentences for terrorism-related offences. [2c](p11)
5.27 According to the US Department of State report 2003, “In March [2003] the Government issued a directive to form a POTA review committee to examine the use of law in various states and prepare a report of findings and recommendations. In October [2003], the government gave statutory powers to the POTA Review Committee for redress of complaints by individuals. The POTA review Committee reviewed cases, and its findings were binding on the government and interrogating police officers. The Committee had not issued a final report by year’s end.”[2c](p12)
5.28 According to the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs website [undated], a total of 32 terrorist organisations were listed in the Schedule to the POTO. These were: Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force; Khalistan Zindabad Force; International Sikh Youth Federation; Lashkar-e-Taiba/Pasban-e-Ahle Hadis; Jaish-e- Mohamed/Tahrik-e-Furqan; Harkat-ul-Mujahideen/Harkat-ul-Ansar/Karkat-ul-Jehad-e- Islami; Hizb-ul-Mujahideen/Hizb-Ulmujahideen Pir Panjal Regime; Al-Umar- Mujahideen; Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front; United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA); National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB); People’s Liberation Army (PLA); United National Liberation Front (UNLF); People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK); Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP); Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL); Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF); All Tripura Tiger Force; National Liberation Front of Tripura; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); Students Islamic Movement of India; Deendar Anjuman; Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), People's War and all its formations and front organisations; Maoist Communist Centre, all its formations and front organisations; Al Badr; Jamiat-ul-Mujahidden; Al-Qaida; Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DEM); Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA); Tamil National Retrieval Troops (TRNT); and Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj (ABNES). [39](p28-29)"

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04.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

Militant groups continued to attack civilians ("Country Report - April 2004") [#22427],  [ID 7839]

"6.154 The US Department of Sate report 2003 reported that “Militant groups continued to attack civilians. For example, in August [2003] unknown persons killed 52 persons by detonation of a car bomb in Bombay”.[2c](p6)"

Document(s): Open document