I-Day terror plot foiled: ISI-backed ring busted, 253 operatives held across 14 states
Security agencies conducted a coordinated multi-state operation on 12 August 2026 against a Pakistan-based, ISI-backed network described as the "Shahzad Bhatti Network," ahead of Independence Day.
A total of 253 individuals were detained across 14 states, with the highest numbers in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan; smaller numbers were held in Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala.
Recoveries included IEDs, grenades marked with Pakistan Ordnance Factory stamps, pistols, live cartridges, and CCTV cameras allegedly used for surveillance of police, defence and religious sites.
More than 80 FIRs were registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and the Explosive Substances Act.
The network is alleged to have been linked to grenade, IED and petrol-bomb attacks and targeted killings in parts of India, using local operatives for reconnaissance and cross-border coordination.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA)
The UAPA is India's principal anti-terrorism statute, enacted in 1967 to place "reasonable restrictions" on activities that threaten the sovereignty and integrity of India, and substantially amended over time (notably in 2004 and 2008 after the Mumbai attacks, and 2019, which allowed designation of individuals, not just organisations, as terrorists).
Key Details
- Section 15 defines "terrorist act" to include acts committed with intent to threaten the unity, integrity, security or sovereignty of India, or to strike terror in people, using bombs, explosives, firearms or other lethal means to cause death, injury, or damage to property or essential supplies.
- Section 2(o) similarly defines "unlawful activity" to include acts intending secession, disclaiming India's sovereignty, or causing disaffection against India.
- The 2019 amendment to UAPA empowered the central government to designate individuals (not only organisations) as terrorists.
- Offences under UAPA allow for extended police custody and detention without bail beyond ordinary Code of Criminal Procedure limits, and confer jurisdiction on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for scheduled offences.
The FIRs in this operation were registered under UAPA alongside general criminal law (BNS), Arms Act, NDPS Act and Explosive Substances Act, reflecting the standard multi-statute charging pattern used against cross-border terror modules, where UAPA supplies the terrorism-specific offence while other Acts cover weapons, explosives and narcotics found during the crackdown.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Centre-State Coordination in Counter-Terrorism
The NIA was established under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, enacted in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, as India's federal counter-terrorism investigation agency. It can take up investigation of "scheduled offences," including UAPA cases, suo motu or on state reference, even though "police" and "public order" are ordinarily State List subjects under the Seventh Schedule.
Key Details
- The NIA Act's Schedule lists offences under statutes such as UAPA, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, among others, as within NIA's jurisdiction.
- The NIA (Amendment) Act, 2019 expanded its jurisdiction to cyber-terrorism and human trafficking offences and allowed it to investigate offences committed against Indian citizens or interests outside India.
- Large multi-state crackdowns (e.g., against PFI-linked networks in 2022) typically combine state police action with central intelligence coordination, followed by NIA taking over politically/nationally significant cases.
The scale of this operation, spanning 14 states with a common command of intelligence-sharing, illustrates the cooperative federalism model that counter-terrorism enforcement in India relies on, where state police act on real-time leads while central agencies coordinate cross-border intelligence and may subsequently take over cases with an established international/ISI linkage.
- Operation date: 12 August 2026, ahead of Independence Day (15 August).
- Total detained: 253 across 14 states; highest counts in Uttar Pradesh (62), Haryana (52), Delhi (51), Punjab (44), Rajasthan (15).
- FIRs registered: more than 80, under UAPA, BNS, Arms Act, NDPS Act, and Explosive Substances Act.
- Recoveries: IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges, surveillance CCTV cameras.
- NIA Act, 2008 was enacted in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks; UAPA is a scheduled statute under the NIA Act.