India extends ban on LTTE for 5 more years

• Says LTTE has not given up on the concept of ‘Eelam’  
• LTTE continues to adopt a strong anti-India posture 

Claiming that the LTTE’s continued violent and disruptive activities are prejudicial to the integrity and sovereignty of India, the Central Government has yesterday extended the ban imposed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for another five years.  

The Indian Union Home Ministry, in a notification, expressed concerns that “the activities of the LTTE continue to pose a threat to the integrity and security of the country.”  

The ban was extended for another five years citing growing separatist tendencies among the people and growing support in India, especially in Tamil Nadu, it said.  

The notification states that the LTTE continues to adopt a strong anti-India posture and also continues to pose a grave threat to the security of Indian nationals.  

The notification also said that efforts have been initiated by the LTTE leaders or cadres to reorganize the cadres and revive the organization locally and internationally. 

In 2021, the NIA had arrested an LTTE member in the incident of seizing a boat with weapons and drugs near Lakshadweep. The NIA has informed that he was a member of the intelligence wing of the LTTE.  

The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a notification that the LTTE is still engaged in activities that undermine the integrity and security of the country. The Ministry of Home Affairs has clarified that even after the military defeat in Sri Lanka in May 2009, the LTTE has not given up on the concept of ‘Eelam’ (an independent country for Tamils) and is secretly working for the cause of ‘Eelam’ by collecting funds.  

“LTTE sympathizers living abroad continue to spread anti-India propaganda among Tamils holding the Government of India responsible for the defeat of the LTTE, which, if not checked, is likely to develop a sense of hate among the Tamil Populace towards the Central Government and the Indian Constitution”, reads the notification by the MHA.