Hezbollah Not Banned in India; Protests, Prayers Without Any Anti-national Activities 'Not Unlawful'

While there have been massive protests in solidarity with Hezbollah and condolence prayers in various parts of the country, including the national capital, for Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israeli forces, top police and intelligence officials have stated that there is nothing illegal about organising such protests.

According to a senior official at the Joint Commissioner of Police level of the Delhi Police, Hezbollah is not a banned organisation in India, which is why protesting in favour of the organisation is not unlawful. “Hezbollah is not a banned organisation in India, and there are no activities of this group recorded by the police or any central agencies. The organisation has political footprints in Lebanon and is a major group for Shia Muslims as well. If the protests are limited to lawful expressions without any provocative or anti-national speeches, that is legal,” the senior official explained.

Meanwhile, the official also mentioned that these prayer meetings and protests remain under scrutiny due to the possibility of hateful speech or unlawful activities. Intelligence officials have noted that these protests have been monitored and found to be organic in nature.

“These prayer meetings organised in different parts of the country on Monday were known to the security agencies. If any unlawful speech or activities occur, local police are trained to handle that,” a senior government official said.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are a total of 22 unlawful associations under Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and a list of organisations designated as ‘terrorist organisations’ under Section 35 of the same act, as outlined in the first schedule of the act.