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India's home ministry has declared the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, saying the group recruits young people and local criminals to smuggle arms, explosives and narcotics from across the border. The designation was made in a notification dated 16 September 2026 and published in the Gazette of India. It adds the group as entry 46 in the First Schedule of the Act. Under the Act, a "terrorist organisation" is any organisation listed in that schedule, or one operating under the same name as a listed organisation. Representational Image source: @AmitShah on X Amit Shah, India's home minister and minister of cooperation, announced the decision in a post on X through the handle of the Home Minister's office. "Pursuing PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji's vision of zero tolerance against terror, the MHA declares the Shahzad Bhatti Network as a terrorist organisation under the UAPA," h...

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday set out an ambitious vision for the country’s border communities by urging officials to make villages along frontiers “vibrant, secure and self-reliant” under the government’s flagship Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) . Image Source: Home Minister Amit Shah Speaking at a two-day workshop in New Delhi, Shah said the initiative, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb migration from sparsely populated frontier regions, was not only about development, but also about national security.  “If villages have all facilities and employment opportunities, local residents will not wish to migrate,” Shah said, noting that strengthening the population base along borders was critical to maintaining sovereignty. The programme, which targets villages in states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Ladakh, aims to provide 100% coverage of government schemes while promoting infrastructure, tourism, cultural preservat...

India's Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha that seek to disqualify the Prime Minister, Union ministers, Chief Ministers or State and Union Territory ministers who remain in judicial custody for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges. Image Source: Daily Excelsior on X The bills--Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025--were tabled amid heavy opposition protests and sloganeering, with members tearing copies of the documents and throwing paper bits toward the minister. The proposed legislation states that if any elected office-bearer is in custody for 30 straight days in connection with offences carrying a punishment of five years or more, they will automatically cease to hold office on the 31st day.  Shah also moved a motion to refer the bills to a joint parliamentary committee for further discu...