In Brief:
- Strict Ban: Maharashtra bans literature and propaganda published by proscribed organizations that glorify violent extremism and jihad.
- Legal Basis: Confiscation orders were issued by the Home Department under Section 98(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
- Key Targets: Banned material includes propaganda from Islamic State (ISIS/ISKP), Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Pir Panjal Regiment.
- Security Threat: State agencies noted that the materials facilitate recruitment, ideological indoctrination, and incite acts prejudicial to national sovereignty.
The Maharashtra government has issued a gazette notification banning and ordering the confiscation of 114 radical publications, magazines, and digital materials associated with proscribed terrorist outfits, state officials confirmed.
The gazette notification emphasized that such literature provides ideological indoctrination, facilitates recruitment, and incites violent acts prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and public safety of the country.
Among the prohibited items are 45 editions of Voice of Khurasan published by ISIS-Khorasan’s propaganda arm, 17 editions of The Revolutionary Resurgence linked to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, as well as multiple instructional manuals outlining tactics for explosive manufacturing and guerilla warfare.
Enforcement agencies across Maharashtra have been tasked with monitoring compliance and ensuring all physical and digital forms of the proscribed material are seized immediately.
