In a sweeping crackdown on insurgent activities in the Northeast, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has declared the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) [NSCN (K)], along with all its factions, wings and front organisations, as an “unlawful association” for a period of five years. The notification, issued on September 22, 2025, stated that the ban would take effect from September 28 under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The Central Government said it had reached the decision after carefully reviewing the outfit’s activities over the past five years and found them to be “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.” The MHA order noted that NSCN (K) has “declared its aim to create a sovereign Nagaland incorporating the Naga inhabited areas of the Indo-Myanmar region by secession from the Indian Union.”
According to the notification issued by Joint Secretary Rajeev Kumar, the group has built dangerous alliances and sought foreign support to strengthen its operations. “The organisation has aligned itself with other unlawful associations like the ULFA (I), PREPAK and PLA,” the MHA said, adding that the outfit has “obtained assistance from anti-India forces in other countries to procure arms and other assistance.”
The Centre highlighted a litany of violent incidents attributed to the NSCN (K) during the period from September 28, 2020 to April 30, 2025. These include the “killing of thirteen underground cadres in police or security forces action,” the “registration of seventy-one cases against its cadres with fifty-six charge sheets filed and thirty-five cadres prosecuted,” and the “involvement of its cadres in fifty-one other criminal activities.”
The security crackdown during this period led to the “arrest of eighty-five cadres and surrender by sixty-nine cadres,” while authorities recovered a significant cache of arms and explosives. The seized items include “sixty-nine arms, fifty-two magazines, nine hundred thirty-one live rounds, ten grenades, one hundred fifty detonators, three explosive gel tubes, two hundred grams of trinitrotoluene (TNT), one and a half kilogram of improvised explosive device (IED) and eight hundred grams of other explosives.”
The MHA observed that the outfit’s activities extended beyond violence to include extortion and intimidation. The notification explicitly mentioned that NSCN (K) has been “indulging in kidnapping for ransom and extortion of money from businessmen, Government officials and other civilians” and “possessing illegal arms and ammunitions,” creating fear and instability in Nagaland and neighbouring states.
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Warning of the continuing danger, the Centre stated: “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 government further emphasized that it was acting on the recommendations of the State Governments of Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. These states, which have faced repeated disruptions and violence linked to the group, urged the Centre to invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) to curb the organisation’s activities.
Declaring the outfit as an unlawful association, the notification stated: “The Central Government hereby declares the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) along with all its factions, wings and front organisations as an unlawful association… with immediate effect from the 28th September, 2025 for a period of five years.”
The notification underscored the urgency of the move, stressing that it was necessary to prevent the NSCN (K) from regrouping or expanding its influence. “Circumstances exist which render it necessary to declare the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) [NSCN (K)] along with all its factions, wings and front organisations to be an unlawful association with immediate effect,” the notification read.
The NSCN (K), formed in 1988 after a split in the original NSCN, has long been one of the most active Naga insurgent groups, operating across Nagaland, Manipur, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as in Myanmar. Its late leader SS Khaplang had maintained bases in Myanmar, providing the group cross-border operational capabilities. Despite occasional ceasefire agreements and peace talks, the outfit has repeatedly engaged in violent acts, including ambushes on security forces and extortion of civilians.
