NEW DELHI: The government will soon bring a national counter-terrorism policy and strategy to fight terrorism, terrorists and their ecosystem, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday.
Addressing an anti-terrorism conference here, Shah also said that while law and order is a state subject and states have the geographical boundaries and constitutional limitations, terrorism doesn’t and hence all security agencies — central and states — must work in close coordination, chalk out joint strategies and share intelligence.
He said the government has come up with a vision on model anti-terrorism squad (ATS) and model special task force (STF) for the states and Union territories, which, if adopted, will work as a common structure and platform to deal with the menace of terrorism.
“We need to work together to fight terrorism, terrorists and their ecosystem. And that’s why, we will soon bring a new national counter-terrorism policy and strategy in which you all will play a key role,” he said at the conference being attended by chiefs of state police forces and other top security officials of states and the Centre.
The home minister said the new policy will help states and central agencies to work in close coordination to deal with terrorism.
On the model ATS and STF, he said the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being shared with the states and they can tweak according to their respective requirements.
Shah said to make India developed by 2047 as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, everyone has to deal with all security challenges and have a unified terror-fighting ecosystem.
“This (adopting model ATS and STF) doesn’t reduce the rights of states,” he said.
The home minister said the Modi government is committed to eradicating terrorism in the country and moving forward with a solid strategy against it.
Security forces have to well equip young officers and use technology to combat terrorism, he said.
“After Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014, the country has been moving forward with a solid strategy against terrorism. We are committed to eradicating terrorism,” he said.
Now the whole world has accepted Prime Minister Modi’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism, the home minister said, adding that the government is committed to removing the evil of terrorism.
Highlighting the achievements of the Modi government against terrorism since 2014, during which terror incidents have come down by 70 per cent in comparison to the previous decade, Shah said now the shelf life of terrorists has decreased from two years to a few days.
He said due to the joint efforts of state and central governments, violence has been controlled to a great extent in Jammu and Kashmir, Naxal-affected areas and the northeastern states in the last 10 years.
Shah asked representatives of the state police forces at the conference, most of whom are DGP-rank officers, to invoke the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) wherever required.
The home minister said the central government’s anti-terror probe agency National Investigation Agency (NIA) utilises UAPA in all terror cases and as a result so far out of 632 cases registered by it, charge sheet has been filed in 498 cases, conviction in almost 95 per cent.
He asked the police chiefs of the states to establish a synergy down to the level of police station and set up a strong ecosystem against terrorism.
The minister underlined the need to legally strengthen the hands of the institutions fighting it. He said, therefore, the jurisdiction of the NIA has been increased by amending the NIA Act and now it can probe terror cases abroad too.
By amending the UAPA, authorities now have the power to confiscate properties and declare organisations and individuals as terrorists, he said.
Shah said a 25-point integrated plan has been prepared to stop the funding of terrorism, including Jihadi terror and Left Wing Extremism.
He said the scope of Multi Agency Centre (MAC), an intelligence gathering mechanism, was expanded, and SOPs were created under it to monitor cyber security, narco terror and emerging radical hotspots, which has led to success in preventing many crimes before they happen.
Shah said he has given medals to 11 NIA officers for their hard work and successes and it is just a small recognition of their extraordinary contribution in fight against terror. “Their contribution and dedication is much bigger and more inspiring than this medal.”
The two-day anti-terror conference, that began here on Thursday, is expected to further enhance coordination among agencies to strengthen India’s security bastion.
The annual conference has over the years emerged as a meeting point for operational forces; technical, legal and forensic experts and agencies engaged in counter-terrorism for deliberations on issues impacting national security and threats emerging out of terrorism.
The key focus of the conference is on developing synergies among various stake holders by establishing channels for coordinated action against the menace of terrorism in the spirit of ‘whole of the government approach’ and to present substantive inputs for future policy formulation, an official release said.
The deliberations and discussions in the two-day conference will be focused on various matters of importance including prosecution and evolving legal framework in counter-terrorism investigations, sharing of experiences and good practices.
Challenges and opportunities related to emerging technologies, international legal cooperation and strategies for dismantling terror ecosystem in various counter-terrorism theatres across India will also be discussed at the conference.
The conference is being attended by senior police officers from states/UTs, officers from central agencies and departments dealing with issues related to counter terrorists and experts from related fields such as law, forensics, and technology, the release said. (PTI)
