Amit Shah calls for stronger mechanism to combat terrorism

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the Modi Government has adopted a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy against all forms and manifestations of terrorism. He highlighted that from 2019 to 2026, the government successfully brought back 288 fugitive criminals to India from 36 countries. Shah said, as a result of better coordination among agencies, more than 40 modules of Shahzad Bhatti network involved in cross-border smuggling of weapons, explosives and narcotics were busted, more than 100 FIRs were registered and 350 individuals were arrested across 15 states. He said, at the same time, the government declared Shahzad Bhatti network a terrorist organisation under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – UAPA.
He was Addressing the Conference on ‘PRAHAAR – National CT Policy and Strategy’ in New Delhi on Monday. Focusing on percolation of the tenets of PRAHAAR up to the Thana level, Shah emphasized adopting a proactive approach towards every aspect of the PRAHAAR initiative. Underlining various steps undertaken for mitigating terrorist threats, the Minister advocated institutionalising an automated counter terrorism response at every level of the framework. Shah also launched a new Extradition Portal, which will synergise and expedite the efforts to bring back fugitives from abroad. He exhorted the State Police Forces to establish dedicated teams for working in tandem with the Central agencies to bring back fugitives from abroad.
The Conference deliberated upon the seven pillars of PRAHAAR including Prevention, Response, Aggregating Internal Capacities, Human Rights, Attenuating Conditions for Terrorism, Aligning International Efforts and Recovery and Resilience through a whole-of-society approach.