A reluctant Home Minister coupled with a crippled and demoralised police force are the two factors responsible for the paralysis that has seized government’s war on terror.
Despite Home Minister P Chidambaram’s assertiveness, police officers all over the country are unwilling to stick their necks or their guns out, fearing a witch-hunt by human rights organisations and politicians—mainly belonging to the UPA—baying for their blood.
For the past two years, not a single preventive arrest has happened in the country. They haven’t apprehended or silenced any sleeping terrorist modules either. With over 60 police officers in jail for the alleged encounter deaths of terrorists like Sohra buddin and Prajapati, the law enforcement system is in a state of permanent freeze.
Central intelligence agencies like the IB and NTRO are toothless; they have no powers to arrest or detain suspects. Though the government has an anti-terrorism strategy, strong counter-terrorism measures are absent. In his last press conference, Chidambaram had clearly stated that India needs an effective counter terrorism strategy to go after sleeping terror cells and finish them off, either by arrest or elimination.
It was for this purpose that various Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATSs) were created in all states. Initially, the squads were a success, yielding phenomenal results by hunting down terror modules, sending terrorists to jail, even shooting them down if necessary.
Chidambaram’s first tenure as home minister was successful, with no major terror attacks.
But soon after UPA’s return to power in 2009, all anti-terror laws like POTA were diluted, or simply abolished in “secular” interest.
Most ATSs are in slumber; once fearless daredevils, who rushed into terrorist hideouts with guns blazing, they have become a shadow of their former self: they don’t fear terrorists; it is politicians and human rights activists whom they are afraid of.
_ The New Indian Express ( Sep 11, 2011 )
Despite Home Minister P Chidambaram’s assertiveness, police officers all over the country are unwilling to stick their necks or their guns out, fearing a witch-hunt by human rights organisations and politicians—mainly belonging to the UPA—baying for their blood.
For the past two years, not a single preventive arrest has happened in the country. They haven’t apprehended or silenced any sleeping terrorist modules either. With over 60 police officers in jail for the alleged encounter deaths of terrorists like Sohra buddin and Prajapati, the law enforcement system is in a state of permanent freeze.
Central intelligence agencies like the IB and NTRO are toothless; they have no powers to arrest or detain suspects. Though the government has an anti-terrorism strategy, strong counter-terrorism measures are absent. In his last press conference, Chidambaram had clearly stated that India needs an effective counter terrorism strategy to go after sleeping terror cells and finish them off, either by arrest or elimination.
It was for this purpose that various Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATSs) were created in all states. Initially, the squads were a success, yielding phenomenal results by hunting down terror modules, sending terrorists to jail, even shooting them down if necessary.
Chidambaram’s first tenure as home minister was successful, with no major terror attacks.
But soon after UPA’s return to power in 2009, all anti-terror laws like POTA were diluted, or simply abolished in “secular” interest.
Most ATSs are in slumber; once fearless daredevils, who rushed into terrorist hideouts with guns blazing, they have become a shadow of their former self: they don’t fear terrorists; it is politicians and human rights activists whom they are afraid of.
_ The New Indian Express ( Sep 11, 2011 )
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