NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government is committed to eradicating terrorism in the country and moving forward with a solid strategy against it, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday.
Shah also said that while law and order is a state subject, terrorism doesn’t have any territorial boundary, and so all security agencies—central and state—must work in close coordination, chalk out joint strategies, and share intelligence.
Security forces have to train young officers and use technology to combat terrorism, he said, addressing an anti-terrorism conference here.
“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 percent 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 wherever required.
The home minister said the central government’s anti-terror probe agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), utilises UAPA in all terror cases, and as a result, so far, out of 632 cases registered by it, a chargesheet has been filed in 498 cases, a conviction rate of almost 95 percent.
He asked the police chiefs of the states to establish a synergy down to the level of police stations 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 the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), an intelligence gathering mechanism, was expanded, and SOPs were created under it to monitor cyber security, narcoterrorism, 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 the fight against terror. “Their contribution and dedication are 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 base.
The annual conference has over the years emerged as a meeting point for operational forces, technical, legal, and forensic experts, and agencies engaged in counterterrorism 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 stakeholders by establishing channels for coordinated action against the menace of terrorism in the spirit of the ‘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 the evolving legal framework in counter-terrorism investigations and the sharing of experiences and good practices.
Challenges and opportunities related to emerging technologies, international legal cooperation, and strategies for dismantling the terror ecosystem in various counterterrorism 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 counterterrorism, and experts from related fields such as law, forensics, and technology, the release said.
