New Delhi: Pathankot terror strike could have been prevented if lessons had been learnt from previous such attacks with focus on securing the country’s border with Pakistan which is not yet “well guarded”, Governor N.N Vohra said here on Tuesday.
Speaking about the infiltrations by terror groups through International Border (IB), including the recent attack on Pathankot Air Base, Vohra said BSF with its limited capacities cannot guard the IB (in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab) which is a long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometers.
The Governor who was here to deliver a key note address on Seventh National Investigation Agency (NIA) Day, noted that the five-six terror attacks which took place from September 2013 onwards via Kathua through the IB, part of which falls in Jammu and Kashmir, should have been followed up as closely as the Pathankot attack.
He said that the attack on Dina Nagar Police Station in Gurdaspur could have been avoided, if the previous terror attacks were subjected to a tight investigation.
“…and if Dinanagar would have been properly investigated, Pathankot, I am sure would have been almost impossible because we would have been able to know the routes taken by the terror groups to infiltrate the IB. I also hold very strongly that IB is not well guarded,” Vohra, who has been the Governor of the border State for last eight years, said.
The Governor, who has also served as Union Home and Defence Secretary besides Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1997, maintained that he had informed the Centre about it.
“I think there are issues…but we need to do much more. BSF, with its present capacities, cannot safeguard IB which is long stretch of over 200 to 250 kilometres almost including the border in Punjab. It is a difficult area and we need to look at that,” Vohra reiterated.
He was replying to a question over the reluctance of State governments in handing over terror cases to central probe agencies. Punjab Government had refused to hand over the Dina Nagar Police Station attack probe to NIA.
The Governor was posed a question by an NIA officer who claimed that the Malda riots in West Bengal were carried out by people with criminal intent who destroyed records of a police station so that when NIA takes over, there are no document and evidence to pursue the probe.
Vohra replied that he had seen such sabotage during his tenure in various capacities in Punjab, during post Blue Star period, and in Jammu and Kashmir.
Vohra also suggested that a separate Ministry should be carved out from the Home Ministry to deal with national security related incidents and a separate cadre of officials who are specially trained to handle these issues be raised to man the proposed ministry.
The Governor asserted that in the wake of terror attacks, standard operating procedures must be strictly followed.
Vohra said State governments oppose NIA from taking over cases and at times the probe is given after “prolonged delays” when local police has already filed charge sheet.
He advocated that agencies like NIA should be allowed to take suo moto cognisance of terror cases and suggested that changes in the legal process should be made to avoid such hindrances.
Vohra said that it was imperative to institute a Nationwide Security Framework Policy since the internal and external security aspects were closely intertwined.
He called for framing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tackling internal security threats in which the state police forces, being the first baseline response agency, have a vital role to play.
Favours RPC under NIA Act
In a statement that could create a flutter in Jammu and Kashmir politics, state Governor N N Vohra on Tuesday favoured including Ranbir Penal Code(RPC) under the purview of NIA Act so that the central probe agency has sweeping powers to take over any case in the country.
In his address at the 7th foundation day of the NIA, Vohra said the Union Home Ministry should take urgent steps to ensure that NIA’s legal framework is suitably modified to enable effective investigations in terror cases.
“The existing Schedule to the NIA Act also requires to be reviewed for enlarging the list of offences to particularly cover those under the Ranbir Penal Code, Arms Act, NDPS Act, Explosive Substances Act and Cyber Terrorism offences, among others,” he said.
Inclusion of Ranbir Penal Code, which is a substitute of Indian Penal Code in Jammu and Kashmir, means that National Investigation Agency (NIA) can take over any case registered under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Under the NIA Act, which came into force after the 2008 Mumbai attack, the agency can take over any case related to terror suo-moto except for Jammu and Kashmir where it requires permission of the state government before taking up the investigation.
Both the ruling PDP and opposition National Conference in J and K have been opposing giving sweeping powers to NIA to take suo motu cognisance of terror-related cases in the state, which is at present under Governor’s rule.