Amit Shah suggests uniform anti-terrorism structure under NIA for all States

Speaking at the Anti-Terror Conference, Mr. Shah said tough decisions taken by the Modi government have yielded good results in handling terror networks and crime syndicates

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses the inaugural session of the 3rd Anti-Terror Conference hosted by the National Investigation Agency in New Delhi on October 5, 2023. | Photo Credit: ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that along with a ruthless approach, an uniform anti-terrorism structure should be established under the purview of National Investigation Agency (NIA) in all the States.

Mr. Shah made the remarks at the inauguration of the two-day anti-terror conference organised by the NIA.

“A model anti-terrorism structure should be established under the purview of NIA, the hierarchy, structure, and standard operating procedure of investigation of all anti-terrorism agencies in all States should be made uniform for better coordination between Central and State agencies. All anti-terror agencies will have to adopt such a ruthless approach that new terrorist organisations cannot be formed,” he said.

“The task of NIA, ATS, and STF should not be limited to investigation but also to think out of the box, and take innovative measures to counter terrorism,” Mr. Shah said.

He added that the Central and State agencies have succeeded in firmly curbing all forms of terrorism in the country in the last 9 years.

The Home Minister said tough decisions taken by the Modi government have yielded very good results in handling challenges posed by cryptocurrencies, hawala, terror-funding, organised crime syndicates and narco-terror links. Still more is to be done, he added.

Mr. Shah said that in order to deal with terrorism, the Centre and the States, their agencies and inter-agency cooperation will have to think in vertical and horizontal ways.

The Home Minister stated that the government had prepared many terror-related database verticals in the last 5 years. Mr. Shah stressed that all the agencies of the Centre and the State should make multidimensional and Artificial Intelligence-based use of the database in order to make the fight against terrorism successful.

Mr. Shah said that the database should be used for investigation, prosecution, prevention and action, while adding that terrorism has no boundaries, and that no State could face the challenges of terrorism alone.