New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released its first-ever National Counter-Terrorism Policy. The document, titled “PRAHAAR,” states that India is affected by cross-border state-sponsored terrorism, with jihadist terrorist organizations and their front organizations engaged in planning, coordinating, facilitating, and executing terrorist attacks in India.
The ministry stated on Monday that disrupting and preventing terrorist attempts to access and use CBRNED (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) materials remains a challenge for counter-terrorism (CT) agencies in India. It also noted that the threat of misuse of drones and robotics for dangerous purposes by both state and non-state actors is another area of concern. Criminal hackers and countries continue to target India through cyberattacks.
The Counter Terrorism Policy document states, “India has been a target of global terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which are attempting to incite violence in the country through sleeper cells.”
It further states that violent extremists operating from foreign soil have conspired to promote terrorism. The document states, “Their handlers from across the border often use new technologies, including drones, to facilitate terrorist activities and attacks in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorist groups are increasingly using organized criminal networks for logistics and recruitment to facilitate and carry out terrorist attacks in India.”
According to the Home Ministry, these terrorist groups use social media platforms as well as instant messaging applications for propaganda, communication, funding, and directing terrorist attacks. The policy states that advances in technology such as encryption, the dark web, and crypto wallets have made it easier for these groups to operate anonymously.
Prevention of Terrorist Attacks
The policy document states that the operation of the Multi-Agency Center (MAC) within the Intelligence Bureau (IB) with the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) will remain the nodal platform for efficient and real-time sharing of CT inputs across the country and preventing subsequent interception.
It states, “Close partnerships have been established with central agencies and state police forces for CT operations under the MAC/JTFI mechanism in the IB.”
The policy further states that in recent times, nexus between illegal arms syndicates and terrorist groups has emerged, and to address this, joint interventions are being carried out by intelligence agencies as well as relevant security agencies in different Indian states. The document states, “Special emphasis has been placed on disrupting terrorist funding networks through the legal framework under Indian laws.”
The policy further states that India faces terrorist threats on all three fronts: water, land, and air. It further states, “Indian border guarding forces (Defense, Central Armed Police Forces) as well as immigration authorities are equipped with state-of-the-art tools and technology to secure the Indian border. Capabilities have been developed to protect vital sectors of the Indian economy, such as power, railways, aviation, ports, defense, space, and nuclear energy, from state and non-state actors.”
Response
The policy document states that local police are the first responders to any attack, supported by special state and central anti-terror forces. The policy states, “States vulnerable to the threat of terrorism have created special CT forces to respond to attacks. The National Security Guard (NSG) is the nodal national counter-terror force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, which assists state forces in responding to major terrorist attacks and also builds the capacity of such state forces.
Capabilities Building
The policy states that modernization of security and law enforcement agencies plays a key role in CT response. It states, “In addition to training in new skills and tactics for CT agencies, the latest tools, technology, and weaponry are regularly acquired. Efforts have been made to further modernize the training modules and infrastructure of training institutes.” Additionally, efforts have been made to upgrade training faculty and provide training on best practices for combating terrorist activities.
Terrorist groups attempting to recruit Indian youth
The policy document states that terrorist groups are continuously attempting to recruit Indian youth. To thwart these attempts, Indian intelligence and law enforcement agencies are continuously thwarting the designs of terrorist groups. Once identified, these youth are subjected to a graded police action, aimed at completely eliminating the problem of radicalization and violent extremism in a multi-stakeholder setting. Legal action is initiated against the individual based on the level of radicalization.Role of Community and Religious Leaders
It states that community and religious leaders, liberal activists, and NGOs are engaged in spreading awareness about the ill effects of radicalization and extremist violence. Furthermore, youth are engaged in constructive engagement to ensure that issues that could threaten peace and communal harmony are curbed. To prevent radicalization in prisons, prison staff are periodically alerted to prevent attempts by hard-core inmates to radicalize vulnerable inmates.
