Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for institutionalising the PRAHAAR counter-terrorism strategy for the next 10 years. He stressed the need to take its principles down to the police station level and establish an automated response mechanism.
Inaugurating the conference on ‘PRAHAAR – CT Policy and Strategy’ in New Delhi, Shah called for consistent efforts to strengthen and improvise the strategy and urged stakeholders to adopt a proactive and result-oriented approach towards all its aspects. The Home Minister emphasised the need to ensure that the tenets of PRAHAAR percolate up to the ‘Thana’ (Police Station) level and called for coordination among all stakeholders to prevent delays in action.
The Seven Pillars of PRAHAAR
The conference deliberated on the seven pillars of PRAHAAR — Prevention, Response, Aggregating Internal Capacities, Human Rights, Attenuating Conditions for Terrorism, Aligning International Efforts, and Recovery and Resilience — through a whole-of-society approach. Shah also highlighted steps taken to mitigate terrorist threats and advocated institutionalising an automated counter-terrorism response across the framework.
The conference was attended by Union Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, heads of Central Armed Police Forces and Central Police Organisations, Directors General of Police of 15 states, and Anti-Terrorist Squad chiefs of all states and Union Territories. Other state police chiefs and cutting-edge police officers joined the conference virtually.
Action Against Terror Networks
Highlighting coordination among agencies, Shah said that from 2019 to 2026, the Modi government brought back 288 fugitive criminals to India from 36 countries. He said more than 40 modules of the Shahzad Bhatti network, allegedly involved in cross-border smuggling of weapons, explosives and narcotics, were busted through better coordination among agencies. The Minister further said that more than 100 FIRs were registered and 350 individuals arrested across 15 states. The government also declared the Shahzad Bhatti network a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Shah pointed out.
‘Zero-Tolerance’ Policy and New Extradition Portal
Shah also noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central government has adopted a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy against all forms and manifestations of terrorism. He also launched a new Extradition Portal aimed at synergising and expediting efforts to bring back fugitives from abroad.
The Home Minister also urged state police forces to establish dedicated teams to work in tandem with Central agencies for bringing fugitives back to India. (ANI)
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