Govt destroyed ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti network; 200 arrested ahead of Independence Day: Amit Shah
Security agencies conducted a coordinated, multi-state operation dismantling the Pakistan-based, ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) ahead of Independence Day, arresting over 200 individuals (253 people detained overall) across 14 states with more than 80 FIRs registered.
The largest number of arrests came from Uttar Pradesh (62), Haryana (52), Delhi (51), Punjab (44) and Rajasthan (15), with smaller numbers in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala.
Recoveries included improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras allegedly used for espionage and surveillance of sensitive sites.
The network is linked to earlier grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks and targeted killings, and had reportedly been paying local operatives to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence and religious installations.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and its Pan-India Jurisdiction
The National Investigation Agency is India's federal counter-terrorism investigation agency, created after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to close jurisdictional gaps in tackling terrorism that spans multiple states. It investigates offences under "scheduled" laws including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
Key Details
- NIA established under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, enacted in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
- The 2019 NIA (Amendment) Act empowered the NIA to investigate scheduled offences anywhere in India without needing prior state government consent, and expanded its remit to cyber-terrorism and human trafficking.
- NIA officers of Inspector rank and above can investigate NIA Act cases; charge sheets must typically be filed within 180 days of arrest (extendable with court permission).
A multi-state network operating across 14 states and dozens of FIRs is the kind of cross-jurisdictional case the NIA framework was specifically designed to address, enabling a single coordinated investigation instead of fragmented state-level cases.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA)
UAPA is India's principal anti-terrorism statute, originally enacted in 1967 to curb secessionist and "unlawful" activities, and substantially strengthened through later amendments to address organised terrorism, terror financing and individual designation of terrorists.
Key Details
- Enacted 1967; significant amendments in 2004 (inserted the definition of "terrorist act" and provisions transferred from the repealed POTA), 2008, 2012 and 2019.
- The 2019 amendment allows the central government to designate individuals — not just organisations — as terrorists.
- UAPA provisions permit stringent bail conditions and extended periods of investigation/custody compared to ordinary criminal law.
Operations of this scale against a Pakistan-linked terror network typically proceed under UAPA, which supplies the legal definitions (terrorist act, terrorist organisation) and procedural powers (extended detention, property attachment) that support coordinated cross-state prosecutions.
Cross-Border Terrorism and Proxy Networks
Cross-border or "proxy" terrorism refers to the use of non-state actors or networks by a state's intelligence apparatus to conduct attacks while maintaining plausible deniability. India's official position has long identified Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as linked to terror networks operating both in Jammu & Kashmir and in mainland India.
Key Details
- ISI is Pakistan's premier military intelligence agency; India has historically attributed backing for groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to Pakistan-based handlers.
- Pakistan was placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) "grey list" between 2018 and 2022 partly over terror-financing deficiencies, before being removed after committing to an action plan.
- Networks recruiting and paying local operatives for reconnaissance and logistics (rather than deploying operatives directly from across the border) reflect a "hybrid" or proxy model of cross-border terrorism.
The Shahzad Bhatti Network's structure — a Pakistan-based network allegedly directing India-based recruits for reconnaissance, arms smuggling and attacks — is characteristic of the proxy-network model that has driven much of India's counter-terrorism legislative and institutional response since the 1990s.
- Over 200 arrests, 253 people detained, across 14 states; more than 80 FIRs registered.
- State-wise arrests: Uttar Pradesh (62), Haryana (52), Delhi (51), Punjab (44), Rajasthan (15), Maharashtra (8), Uttarakhand (5), Karnataka/Gujarat/Bihar (3 each), Telangana/Himachal Pradesh/Jammu and Kashmir/Kerala (2 each).
- Recoveries: IEDs, grenades with Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges, surveillance cameras.
- NIA established 2008 (post-26/11 Mumbai attacks); NIA (Amendment) Act, 2019 extended its suo motu, pan-India jurisdiction.
- UAPA enacted 1967; key amendments in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2019 (individual terrorist designation).
- Pakistan was on the FATF grey list from 2018 to 2022.