The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday issued an order extending the ban on the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) including all its factions, wings, and front organizations, as an unlawful association for another five years.
The ban will come into immediate effect starting September 28, 2025, and will remain in force for a period of five years, under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
In an official statement, the MHA said that the Khaplang group of NSCN was found to be aligned with other unlawful associations like the ULFA(I), PREPAK, and PLA. The outfit indulged in kidnapping for ransom and extortion of money from businessmen, government officials, and other civilians, it alleged.
“Among other unlawful activities in which the NSCN (Kaplang) has been found to be indulging include possessing illegal arms and ammunition, obtaining assistance from anti-India forces in other countries to procure arms and other assistance,” the MHA said.
In the notification, the MHA said, the government is of the opinion that the NSCN (Kapland) has declared its aim to create a sovereign Nagaland incorporating the Naga inhabited areas of the Indo-Myanmar region by secession from the Union of India and aligned itself with other unlawful associations.
The MHA stated that between September 28, 2020, and April 30, 2025 there were registrations of 71 cases against its NSCN (Kaplang) cadres with 56 charge sheets filed and 35 of them prosecuted, involving its cadres in 51 other criminal activities.
It also involved the arrest of 85 cadres and surrender by 69 cadres, in addition to the recovery of 69 arms, 52 magazines, 931 live rounds, 10 grenades, 150 detonators, three explosives gel tubes, 200 grams of trinitrotoluene, one-and-a-half kilogramme improvised explosive device (IED) and 800 grams of other explosives.
During the period, 13 underground cadres of the outfit were also killed in action by police or security forces. The state governments of Nagaland, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh have also recommended the declaration of NSCN (K) as an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
“Whereas, the central government is of the opinion that the aforesaid activities of NSCN (K) are detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India and if these are not immediately curbed and controlled, the NSCN (K) may further regroup and rearm itself, expand its cadres, procure sophisticated weapons, cause loss of lives of civilians and security forces and thereby accelerate its anti-national activities,” the notification further read.
The ministry said it is of the further opinion that circumstances exist which render it necessary to declare the NSCN (K), along with all its factions, wings and front organisations, to be an unlawful association.
“Accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 3 of the said Act, hereby direct that this notification shall, subject to any order that may be made under section 4 of the said Act, have immediate effect from the 28th September, 2025 for a period of five years,” it said.
The NSCN (K) has continued to be a banned organisation for decades now and it is being extended every five years. Its leader, SS Khaplang, a Myanmarese Naga, died in 2017 after leading the group for decades.