Who Is Shahzad Bhatti? India Bans His Network Under UAPA After Major Crackdown

The Centre on Wednesday designated the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, adding the Pakistan-based network to the list of banned terrorist organisations under the law.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a Gazette notification that the decision was based on the government’s assessment that the network had been involved in terrorist activities in India. The notification invoked Section 35(1)(a) of the UAPA to add SBN to the Act’s First Schedule.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the network was involved in the cross-border smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics, encouraging youths and petty criminals to participate in terrorism, threatening communal harmony and circulating hateful digital content.

The designation follows a major multi-state security crackdown against the network in August, ahead of Independence Day. On August 12, agencies detained 253 people across 14 states, while more than 80 FIRs were registered and over 200 arrests were recorded in cases linked to SBN.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the operation resulted in the recovery of IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras allegedly used for espionage. Authorities said the network had also been paying local conduits to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence and religious sites.

Security agencies have linked the network to allegations involving grenade attacks, IED attacks, petrol bomb attacks and targeted killings. Officials have also alleged that it used online platforms to recruit young people and local criminals by offering money and promises of overseas visas.

Shahzad Bhatti has been described by Indian authorities and officials as a Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terror operative. Reports have linked the network to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, although such claims are allegations by Indian authorities and security officials. Bhatti is believed to operate from outside India and has been described in reports as moving between different countries.

The August operation covered Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala.