Govt extends ban on LTTE by 5 yrs

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Tuesday issued a notification extending the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) — a militant outfit that fought for Tamil independence in Sri Lanka until its defeat in 2009 — for five more years. It said LTTE’s continued violent and disruptive activities are prejudicial to the integrity and sovereignty of the nation.

India had banned the LTTE after the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The ban on the group was last extended for five years in 2014. The LTTE, a terror outfit based in Sri Lanka, came up in 1976 with a demand for a separate homeland [Tamil Eelam] for Tamilians. “LTTE continues to adopt an anti-India posture which is posing a grave threat to the livelihood of Indian nationals. Therefore, it is essential to declare the LTTE as an unlawful association,” a notification issued by MHA read. HTC