Our Bureau
New Delhi
In a landmark move, the Union Home Ministry on Monday unveiled India’s first comprehensive National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy, christened ‘Prahaar’, vowing a zero-tolerance stance against all forms of terrorism while adopting a whole-of-society approach. The doctrine identifies state-sponsored cross-border attacks, global jihadist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and emerging threats such as drones, encrypted platforms, dark web operations, cryptocurrency funding, and CBRNED (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive, digital) risks as primary challenges, alongside the nexus between terrorists and organized crime.
At its core, ‘Prahaar’ emphasizes intelligence-led prevention through the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) and Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI), enabling real-time data sharing to dismantle over-ground worker networks, choke financing channels, and disrupt online radicalization. For responses, local police serve as first responders, with the National Security Guard (NSG) handling major incidents and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) leading probes, all coordinated under standardized procedures to ensure swift action and high conviction rates as deterrents.
The policy reaffirms operations within human rights frameworks, upholding the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) alongside new criminal laws, with multi-layered judicial oversight up to the Supreme Court. It prioritizes counter-radicalization via community leaders, de-radicalization programs, youth employment schemes, and prison reforms to address root causes like poverty and unemployment, while pushing international cooperation through extraditions, MLATs, and UN designations.
‘Prahaar’ also calls for modernizing forces with advanced tech, uniform state-level anti-terror squads, and public-private partnerships for resilience and recovery post-attacks. Framing terrorism as a multidimensional threat unbound by religion, caste, or nationality, the strategy signals India’s evolved, proactive security posture on the global frontline.
