IB: Protect officials into counter terrorism

New Delhi, Nov 23: The Intelligence Bureau today urged the government to provide adequate legal protection to police/security force personnel involved in counter terrorism operations.

Addressing the three-day annual National Conference of Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police here, IB Director E L Narsimhan said often ''sustained legal and extra legal campaigns'' were faced by officials involved in counter terrorism operations.

He said to effectively deal with cross border terrorism, adequate legal protection be given to officers dealing with it.

The IB Director's comment is significant in view of the ongoing work on police reforms and drafting of the model Police Act by the Soli Sorabjee Committee. The police or security agencies want that to deal with federal crimes like terrorism and naxalism, a comprehensive policy should be adopted.

Stating that developments in the neighbourhood and naxalism have a major implication on the internal security of the country, he said the government needs to intervene at the early stage to tackle these challenges.

He said that robust intelligence collection and sharing was crucial to neutralise the threat of terror violence and suicide bombers.

He said more robust framework and modern equipment were required to protect people. He said pro-active approach is being adopted as an effective anti-dote to tackle terror investigation.

Pointing out that terrorists were trying to target the economic underbelly of the country, he said the police forces were coordinating and acquiring capabilities to deal with white collar crimes.

UNI