Bengaluru engineer among 23 designated as terrorists by govt.

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Bengaluru Engineer Among 23 Designated Terrorists Under UAPA

Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated 23 individuals (6 Indians, 17 Pakistanis) as "terrorists" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) [S1][S4].
Includes a Bengaluru-origin engineer, Mohammed Shahid Faisal, linked to the Rameshwaram Cafe blast (March 1, 2024) [S1][S4].
Total individuals designated as terrorists under UAPA now stands at 80 [S1][S4].
Tests UAPA's individual-designation provision (distinct from organisation-banning), a recurring Prelims/Mains hook on anti-terror legal architecture.

On Saturday, July 4, 2026, MHA notified 23 new individual terrorist designations under UAPA [S1][S2][S3].
Trigger tied to ongoing NIA probes into the Rameshwaram Cafe IED blast, Mangaluru cooker blast, and the Al-Hind ISIS module case [S1][S3].

UAPA, 1967 originally targeted "unlawful associations"; the 2004 amendment introduced banning of "terrorist organisations."
The 2019 UAPA Amendment Act empowered the Centre to designate individuals (not just organisations) as terrorists by adding them to the Fourth Schedule [S4].
Mohammed Shahid Faisal: engineering graduate (2004–2008) of a Bengaluru institute, later worked as a software engineer, subsequently moved to Pakistan (based in Rawalpindi), affiliated with LeT, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS [S1][S3].
Alleged history includes the 2012 Bengaluru LeT conspiracy case and 2013 Nanded LeT case [S3].

Enabling law: Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, as amended in 2019.
Designating authority: Union Ministry of Home Affairs (individual designation under the Fourth Schedule) [S1][S4].
Current tally: 80 individuals designated as terrorists under UAPA (post this batch of 23) [S1][S4].
Composition of this batch: 6 Indian nationals + 17 Pakistani nationals [S1][S4].
Groups referenced: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Al-Qaeda, ISIS [S1][S2].
Alleged roles cited: recruitment, training, infiltration, financing, arms supply, drone-based weapons delivery, planning/facilitating attacks [S1].
Key named individual: Mohammed Shahid Faisal (age 40), alleged online handler of the module behind the Rameshwaram Cafe blast [S1][S3].
Investigating agency: National Investigation Agency (NIA) [S1].

Legal/Constitutional: UAPA's individual-designation mechanism bypasses the need to prove organisational membership; designees can seek de-listing via a review committee — relevant to due-process debates on anti-terror law.
Geopolitical/Strategic: 17 of 23 designees are Pakistani nationals operating from Pakistan/PoJK, reinforcing India's cross-border terrorism narrative [S1].
Administrative: Highlights NIA-MHA coordination in converting investigation findings (module identification) into a formal designation.
Ethical/Governance: Raises questions on the evidentiary threshold for designating persons who are "no longer in India" and cannot contest domestically [S1].
Historical: Case sits within a lineage of Bengaluru-linked terror modules (2012 LeT conspiracy, 2024 Rameshwaram Cafe blast), showing recurring exploitation of technically skilled youth [S1][S3].

March 1, 2024: IED explosion at Rameshwaram Cafe, Bengaluru; NIA investigation identifies Mohammed Shahid Faisal as handler [S1].
July 4, 2026: MHA designates 23 individuals (including Faisal) as terrorists under UAPA, raising the cumulative count to 80 [S1][S2][S4].

UAPA stands for Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, enacted in 1967 [S4].
The 2019 amendment to UAPA allows designation of individuals as terrorists, not just organisations.
MHA's latest notification (July 2026) added 23 individuals, taking the total to 80.
Of the 23, 17 are Pakistani nationals and 6 are Indian nationals [S1].
Mohammed Shahid Faisal is linked to the Rameshwaram Cafe blast of March 1, 2024, in Bengaluru [S1][S3].
Faisal is also linked to the Mangaluru cooker blast and the Al-Hind ISIS module case [S1][S3].
Investigating agency for the Rameshwaram Cafe case: National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Faisal is alleged to be affiliated with LeT, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS simultaneously [S1][S3].
Terror designation notification issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, not the Ministry of External Affairs.
Alleged roles among the 23 designees span recruitment, training, infiltration, financing, arms supply, and drone-based weapons delivery [S1].

GS-II: Government policies/interventions; statutory bodies — UAPA amendments and individual designation powers.
GS-III: Internal security — role of state and non-state actors in terrorism; linkages of organised crime with terrorism; security challenges and their management in border areas.
Possible question stems:
"Discuss the significance of designating individuals (as opposed to organisations) as terrorists under UAPA. Does it strengthen or dilute due process safeguards?"
"Examine the pattern of technically skilled youth being radicalised into terror modules, with reference to recent Bengaluru-linked cases."
"Cross-border terrorism continues to exploit digital and drone technologies. Discuss with reference to recent MHA designations under UAPA."

UAPA 2019 Amendment — legal basis for individual terrorist designation.
NIA Act, 2008 — investigative mandate and jurisdiction of the National Investigation Agency.
Rameshwaram Cafe blast (2024) — case study in urban terror incidents.
Cross-border terrorism from Pakistan/PoJK — geopolitical dimension.
De-radicalisation and online recruitment — social dimension of terror modules.
Drone use in terrorism/smuggling — emerging security technology challenge along India-Pakistan border.
UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee — international parallel mechanism for terrorist designation.

Confusing individual designation (2019 amendment, Fourth Schedule) with organisation banning (First Schedule, since 2004) under UAPA.
Assuming MEA rather than MHA is the designating authority.
Mixing up NIA's investigative role with MHA's designation/notification role — they are distinct functions.
Assuming all 23 designees are Pakistani — actually 6 are Indian nationals.
Conflating this July 2026 batch's cumulative total (80) with the size of just this batch (23).

[S1] Bengaluru engineer among 23 designated as terrorists by govt. — https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/2026-07-05/th_chennai/articleGVNG74ODG-15230246.ece — (tier: 4)
[S2] MHA designates 23 individuals linked to different terror groups as 'terrorists' under UAPA — https://aninews.in/news/national/general-news/mha-designates-23-individuals-linked-to-different-terror-groups-as-terrorists-under-uapa20260704140214/ — (tier: 4)
[S3] India adds 23 more individuals to UAPA terrorist list; total rises to 80 as Hafiz Saeed's nephew, Bengaluru techie included — https://keralakaumudi.com/en/en/india/general/india-uapa-terrorist-list-updated-80-individuals-1775079 — (tier: 4)
[S4] 23 Terrorists Designated Under UAPA by MHA — https://www.newkerala.com/news/a/mha-designates-23-individuals-linked-different-terror-groups-233.htm — (tier: 4)