On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that a coordinated strategy is needed to combat “terrorism, terrorists, and their ecosystems”, and that the federal government will soon introduce a “national counter-terrorism policy and strategy”.
According to Amit Shah, the government has developed documentation for the states and union territories on a model Special Task Force (STF) and Anti-Terrorist Squads (ATS), which, if approved, will serve as a unified framework and platform to combat the threat of terrorism.
Shah said, while addressing the chiefs of police of states, senior security officers and central agencies at the inaugural session of two-day anti-terror conference 2024, organized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at Delhi, “We need to work together to fight terrorism, terrorists, and their ecosystem. And that’s why, we are bringing a new national counter-terrorism policy and strategy in which you all will play a key role”. He further added, asserting that law and order is a state subject, “The new policy will help state and central agencies work in unison to deal with terrorism”. Shah stated that the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in this area are also being shared for the model ATSs and STFs, which states can modify in accordance with their own needs.
He added, “In order to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of India being developed by 2047, we must address all security threats and establish a cohesive ecosystem for combating terrorism. Adopting the ATS and STF models does not diminish states’ rights”. Shah added, the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), platform where various agencies and States/UTs communicate real-time intelligence on daily basis, is also being informed.
Over the years, the NIA conference has become a gathering place for counterterrorism agencies, technical, legal, and forensic experts, as well as operational forces, to discuss matters affecting national security and dangers arising from terrorism.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the main goal of conference is to create avenues for coordinated action against the threat of terrorism in the spirit of the “whole of the government approach” and to provide significant input for future policy formulation. MHA 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. The conference is being attended by senior police officers from states/UTs, officers from central agencies/departments dealing with issues related to counter terrorism and experts from related fields such as law, forensics, technology etc..”.
In addition to representatives from all central investigative and intelligence agencies, including the CBI, ED, NIA, DRI, NCB, IB, and R&AW, the meeting will be attended by 21 director generals of police (DGPs).
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