London, Jul 5: Britain today banned Indian Mujahideen (IM), making it a criminal offence to join and support the LeT-linked terror group which carried out “indiscriminate mass casualty attacks” in India and “posed a threat” to British nationals there.
MPs at the UK's House of Commons unanimously approved a motion last night proscribing IM and placing it on the list of 47 organisations that have been banned from functioning in UK.
“Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist organisation which has carried out a number of indiscriminate mass casualty attacks in India since 2007. It uses violence to achieve its stated objectives of establishing an Islamic state in India and implementing Sharia law,” Home Secretary Theresa May said.
She added: “Proscribing Indian Mujahideen sends a clear message that we condemn its activities and enables the UK to demonstrate our commitment to counter-terrorism to our international partners.”
The ban, which was slapped based on available evidence and information, comes into effect from tonight.
Setting out the reasons for proscribing IM, Home Office Minister James Brokenshire told the House of Commons that the decision was “not taken lightly” but after thoroughly reviewing all the available information and evidence about IM.
Brokenshire said IM “has frequently perpetrated attacks against civilian targets such as markets with the intention of maximising casualties... The organisation has also publicly threatened to attack British tourists, so they clearly pose a threat to British nationals in India.”
Senior Labour leader Keith Vaz said: “I welcome yesterday's decision of the British Parliament to ban the Indian Mujahideen from operating in the UK. The international community should join together in criminalising this organisation, which has killed innocent civilians and uses violence indiscriminately.”
Vaz said: “Britain and India should use their strong ties and work together to persuade other countries to ban the Indian Mujahideen from operating, and ensure they have nowhere left to go.”
Brokenshire noted that IM was also banned in other countries, including the United States and New Zealand.
India had banned IM, which is linked to the Pakistan-based LeT, in June 2010 after it was suspected of involvement in the attack on a Pune bakery. The House of Lords was scheduled to discuss the issue today.
Brokenshire recalled some incidents in which IM was involved, such as the serial blasts in Jaipur in May 2008 in which 63 people were killed, and the September 2011 explosion outside the High Court in New Delhi that claimed 15 lives.
“IM has sought to incite sectarian hatred in India by deliberately targeting Hindu places of worship such as an attack during a prayer ceremony in Varanasi which killed a child in December 2010,” he said.
Supporting the motion to proscribe IM, shadow home office minister Diana Johnson noted that IM had “strong links” with the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and asked why the government had not banned SIMI as well?
To questions about evidence of IM operating in the UK, Brokenshire said he could not respond due to security issues, but added that the Home Secretary decides to proscribe an organisation only after thoroughly reviewing all available information and evidence.
Vaz said his constituency (Leicester East) had the highest number of Indian origin people in the country, and added that he was not aware of IM functioning in the United Kingdom.
