The government, on Monday, unveiled India's first counter-terrorism policy, 'PRAHAAR'—a multi-layered strategy built on "zero tolerance" and intelligence-led prevention and disruption of extremist violence.
As the nature of threats continues to change and present new challenges, 'PRAHAAR' focuses on cutting off terrorists, their funders, and supporters from money, weapons, and safe places to operate.
The policy, unveiled by the Union home ministry, is based on seven key pillars to counter terror threats emanating from within the country and outside. These are: prevention, responses, aggregating internal capacities, human rights and 'rule of law'-based processes, attenuating the conditions enabling terrorism, aligning and shaping international efforts to counter terrorism, and recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
Thus, PRAHAAR refers to:
Prevention of terror attacks to protect Indian citizens and interests;
Responses that are swift and proportionate to the threat posed;
Aggregating internal capacities for achieving synergy in a whole-of-government approach;
Human rights and ‘Rule of Law’-based processes for mitigation of threats;
Attenuating the conditions enabling terrorism, including radicalisation;
Aligning and shaping international efforts to counter terrorism;
Recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
Assessing threat profile
Without naming Pakistan, the document observed that India has been facing persistent threats from cross-border terrorism, with jihadi outfits and global groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS using sleeper cells to plan attacks. Operating from foreign countries, extremists employ advanced technologies, including drones, particularly in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
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"Violent extremists operating from the soils of foreign countries have hatched conspiracies to promote terrorism. Their handlers from across the border frequently use the latest technologies, including the use of drones, for facilitating terror-related activities and attacks in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Increasingly, terrorist groups are engaging organised criminal networks for logistics and recruitment to execute and facilitate terror strikes in India," the document from the home ministry reads.
Terrorist groups are increasingly collaborating with organised crime for logistics and recruitment. They utilize social media, encrypted messaging, the dark web, and crypto wallets for propaganda, funding, and communication while remaining anonymous.
Major challenges for counter-terrorism agencies include preventing terrorists from accessing chemical, biological, or nuclear materials, the lethal use of drones and robotics, and defending against cyber-attacks from criminal and state actors.
Prevention
India follows an intelligence-focused strategy to prevent terrorism, in which primacy is accorded to intelligence gathering and its dissemination to executive agencies for neutralisation of threats. Operationalisation of the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) along with the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) remains the nodal platform for efficient and real-time sharing of counter-terrorism (CT)-related inputs across the country and subsequent prevention of disruptions.
The MAC is the main hub for sharing information in real time with state and central police to stop threats as they emerge.
Authorities work to disrupt terrorist activities online, such as recruitment and propaganda, as well as the real-world support networks that provide them with money and supplies, as terrorists and violent extremists misuse the internet for communication, recruitment, glorification of jihad, and other terror-related activities. There is a special focus on breaking the links between terrorists and illegal arms dealers and on cutting off terror funding.
Pointing out that India faces terrorist threats on all three fronts—water, land, and air—the ministry said capacities have been developed to protect the critical sectors of the Indian economy, including power, railways, aviation, ports, defence, space, and atomic energy, from state and non-state actors.
Response
As the local police are the first responders in any attack, assisted by specialised state and central anti-terror forces, the states vulnerable to terror threats have created special CT forces to respond to attacks. As responding to a terror attack is a multi-stakeholder exercise involving agencies at the central, state, and district levels, the home ministry has come up with a Standard Operating Procedure to guide how these agencies coordinate at the top level.
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are regularly sent to different states. They carry out many duties, such as maintaining law and order and conducting counter-terrorism operations.
Aggregating capacities
In order to be efficient in counter-terror operations, law enforcement agencies need to be highly modernised by acquiring new tools, technology, and weaponry, and acquiring new skills and tactics.
"Efforts have been made to further modernise the training modules and infrastructure of the training institutes, besides upgrading the training faculties, to provide training on best practices for responding to terrorist situations," the ministry states, adding that the overall capacities of various law enforcement and counter-terror agencies have been enhanced by identifying resource gaps and suggesting necessary countermeasures.
Human rights and rule-of-law-based processes
According to the ministry, special laws are in place to tackle terrorism-related crimes. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, is the principal legal regime to deal with terrorism in India, supplemented by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023; and various other Acts, such as the Explosives Substances Act, 1908, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
A robust and independent criminal justice system ensures that all individuals are properly represented and have access to affordable legal services, the document states, adding that there are ample opportunities available to the aggrieved person to contest and file appeals before courts.
Attenuating conditions conducive to terrorism
Terrorist groups are constantly trying to recruit Indian youth. Indian intelligence and law enforcement agencies regularly act to thwart their plans.
When such youths are identified, they are dealt with through a step-by-step police response that aims to address radicalisation and violent extremism with the involvement of multiple stakeholders. Legal action is taken based on how radicalised the individual is.
Community and religious leaders, moderate preachers, and NGOs are involved in spreading awareness about the consequences of radicalisation and extremist violence. In order to prevent radicalisation in prisons, prison staff are cautioned from time to time to prevent acts of radicalisation of vulnerable inmates by hardcore inmates. De-radicalisation programs are also undertaken. Besides, efforts are also taken to address issues of poverty and unemployment among vulnerable communities through various government schemes and initiatives.
Aligning and shaping international efforts
Given the transnational character of terrorism, India needs the support of international partners to counter it. Apart from engagements for intelligence sharing, India has entered into various agreements and arrangements, such as the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), Extradition Treaty/Extradition Arrangement (ET/EA), Joint Working Group (JWG), and Memorandum of Understanding with foreign partners for information and evidence sharing and other legal cooperation. Such collaborations have resulted in the disruption and indictment of many terrorist and radical entities and the extradition or deportation of wanted fugitives.
Recovery and resilience
According to the ministry, public-private partnerships have been a major component in India's fight against terrorism, as this helps in faster recovery and resilience in case of a terror attack. The government engages a team of doctors, psychologists, lawyers, and other members of civil society, including NGOs, religious and community leaders, to sensitise and reintegrate the affected community, while the civil administration takes the lead in reconstruction and restoration efforts.
Expressing its commitment to continue its efforts with the international community to counter the global challenge of misuse of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for terrorist purposes, the document said investments in technology and partnerships with private enterprises have been included to mitigate futuristic terror threats.
"India remains committed to international cooperation and collaboration. To build consensus on the understanding of terrorism and the rights of victims of terrorism, India will continue to work for a comprehensive framework on international terrorism while pursuing its counter-terrorism policy and strategy 'PRAHAAR', which aims to criminalise all terrorist acts and deny access to funds, weapons, and safe havens to terrorists, their financiers, and supporters," it reads.