The Maharashtra government has launched a major crackdown on terror propaganda by ordering the seizure of 114 radical publications linked to banned terrorist organisations. The action was announced through a gazette notification issued on August 6, 2026, following intelligence inputs and reports from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which indicated the active circulation of extremist literature across physical and digital platforms.
The government has directed the immediate forfeiture of the identified publications under Section 98(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
The ban covers the publication, circulation, distribution, sale, exhibition, possession and storage of the material in both physical and digital formats. According to the notification, the confiscated material glorifies violent extremism, promotes jihad and facilitates terrorist recruitment, posing a serious threat to India's sovereignty, integrity, security and communal harmony.
"The publication, circulation, distribution, sale, exhibition, possession and storage, whether physical or digital, of such material is prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State and public order," the gazette notification stated.
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It further added that, "The continued availability and circulation of such publications and digital content, whether in physical, electronic or online form could facilitate the spread of extremist ideology and make impressionable individuals, particularly young people, more vulnerable to radicalisation."
The banned material has been linked to recognised terrorist organisations, including ISIS, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
The notification's annexure lists several publications, including 45 editions of "Voice of Khurasan" magazine published by Al-Azaim Media. It also includes Hizb-ul-Mujahideen's "The Revolutionary Resurgence" and Radical Kashmir magazines.
In addition to magazines and propaganda material, the state has banned several terror manuals that allegedly contain instructions on explosives, poisons and suicide attacks, as part of its latest effort to curb the spread of extremist content.
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