Lack of free hand aided growth of terror down South: Former R&AW officer

New Delhi, May 08: Radicalisation and terror down south has been a major concern. The fact of the matter is that there was always a danger lurking and it is also a fact that the agencies reacted late in this part of the country.

Was it due to the late reactions that let terror and radicalisation flourish in South India. Former officer of the Research and Analysis Wing, Amar Bhushan says that it is unfair to accuse the agencies of reacting late in South India. Let us put this thing in perspective and the fact is that the agencies never got a free hand to act against radicalisation and terrorism down South, he tells OneIndia.

When there are governments which latch on to support from Muslim dominated parties, there is very little support one can expect. It was extremely difficult to act in South India, Bhushan also says.

There was a definite hesitation to take on the extremists. Take the case of Bhatkal for instance. It was infested with extremists. Agency units were set up very late and the role of the state police, the less said the better.

There is a kind of denying tolerance towards the extremist activities. When there is a government which does not want to go all out, then what can one expect, Bhushan asks. If the government at the centre and the state does not cooperate, it is impossible to take all out action.

"Look at the free hand given to the National Investigation today. The agency is going all out against the radical activities in South India and I must say they are doing a commendable job. Moreover they are not restricting themselves only to South. They are in Bengal and a whole lot of other states," the former R&AW official says.

"As a police personnel, I can tell you that if you are not given a free hand, you really cannot operate. If you decide to go ahead, you will never know when you will get tripped," he further adds.

"I can tell you this that we wanted to operate aggressively in Pakistan, but were never allowed to do it. Moreover for permission for surveillance, we always had to go to the Home Ministry and seek approval after giving a lot of explanation. You cannot keep running to the MHA all the time."

"The NIA is today successful because of surveillance measures that they have taken. The thing is, if you have created an agency, then let it run freely. Surveillance is the heart of an operation and absolutely needed to monitor extremist elements."