By NewsGram Staff-Writer

New Delhi: Naga rebel group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) was banned for five years by the central government on Wednesday. The organisation has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad told media that the decision to declare NSCN(K) an unlawful organisation has been taken during a cabinet meeting.

Prasad said," In recent times, a lot of explosions and ambushes have been carried out by the organisation. The government of India, after elaborate consideration, has decided to declare NSCN(K) an unlawful organisation for five years."

S.S. Khaplang heads the NSCN (Khaplang) faction while Sumi, a resident of Zhunehboto in Nagaland, holds charge of the armed wing of the group.

In 1988, the NSCN split into two factions — the NSCN(K) led by Khaplang and NSCN(IM) led jointly by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah.

With Inputs from IANS