The Center has extended the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for another five years, citing concerns over the group’s separatist operations and risks to India’s territorial integrity, especially in Tamil Nadu.
The Union Home Ministry has renewed the ban on the LTTE under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 due to their continued involvement in activities considered detrimental to the security of India, PTI reported.
According to the report, despite its military defeat in Sri Lanka in 2009, the LTTE has continued to seek an independent Tamil homeland, known as “Eelam”, through covert fundraising and propaganda activities. The group’s supporters continue to spread anti-India sentiments among Tamil communities, threatening India’s sovereignty.
“Pro-LTTE groups/elements continue to foment a separatist trend among the masses and enhance the support base for the LTTE in India and particularly in Tamil Nadu, which will ultimately have a strong disintegrating influence on the territorial integrity of India” , reads the notification. he said, according to a PTI report.
According to the news agency report, the notification read: “The group’s goal of a separate homeland (Tamil Eelam) for all Tamils threatens the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India and amounts to cession and secession of a part of the Union Territory of India and therefore falls within the ambit of illegal activities. LTTE sympathizers living abroad continue to spread anti-India propaganda among the Tamils, holding India responsible for the defeat of the Tamils. LTTE, which, if left unchecked, is likely to create a sense of peace. “Hatred among the Tamil population towards the central government and the Indian Constitution.”
The Home Minister, according to the PTI report, stated: “Despite the ban, the activities of pro-LTTE organizations and individuals have come to be noticed and these forces have tried to extend their support to the LTTE. The leaders of the “LTTE, agents and supporters have been hostilely opposed to India’s policy on their organization and the action of the state machinery to curb their activities.”
The LTTE, considered one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations, has been involved in criminal operations such as arms smuggling and narcotics trafficking. Cases have been filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the group and its sympathizers, the news agency report added.
According to the report, after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, India banned the LTTE. Since then, the ban has been renewed every five years. Despite its military defeat in 2009, the LTTE remains a threat due to its anti-India ideology and disruptive operations, necessitating renewal of the ban to protect national security.