On October 3, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil outlined some crucial concerns in the fight against terrorism in New Delhi, at the conference of Directors-General and Inspectors-General of Police, like low police-population ratio, inadequate strength and inefficiency of the intelligence agencies in the states, and presence of terrorist sleeper cells in mega cities.
The police-population ratio in India is very poor at 1:728; it was 1:600 as mentioned by the Home Minister in August 2005 to Parliament, with women constables constituting only 2.5 per cent of that number. Inadequate strength of the intelligence agencies is another impediment in most Indian states due to vacant positions not being filled for years. Police personnel on intelligence duties are estimated to comprise only 1 percent to 1.5 percent of the total police force.
Though the National Police Commission (1977) had recommended a Model Police Act to replace the ancient Police Act of 1861, there is no political will to implement it. Most terrorist financing in India occurs through informal channels, including hawala; hence the use of fake currency is a cause of concern. The sleeper cells, which are often funded with fake currency, have the capacity to become active at will.
These cells have developed an effective mechanism to escape the attention of intelligence agencies. India has set up a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to counter fake currency. It sifts through suspicious transactions, but it lacks staff and adequate support from other domestic law enforcement agencies.
According to the draft report of the Counter Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has developed measures to protect the financial system from being used to fund terrorism, including bringing authorized money changers under a regulatory mechanism. However, RBI guidelines do not extend to institutions beyond the scope of its mandate; hence these institutions are sometimes subject to lower regulatory standards.
This report adds that Indian states do not have specialized units to analyze threats. It recommends that India should consider allowing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to handle more counter-terrorism cases.
The Hindustan Times reported that India has witnessed over 70,000 deaths, including that of 11,000 security personnel - more than in all the wars fought since Independence - killed by terrorists. With the most sophisticated technologies being available to terrorists, fighting terrorism has become an increasingly difficult task.
It becomes even more challenging when states lack specialized police forces, effective intelligence mechanisms, and cutting-edge technology. Only a trained police force in adequate numbers with timely intelligence inputs can fight the menace of terrorism.
Courtesy IPCS
Print
Tell friend
Top
