Maintaining internal security in a country as big as India, with threats from within and outside, is a huge task. It demands unrelenting vigil. After the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, Pune and Varanasi blasts, there might be an apparent lull but the country's Home Secretary, Mr Gopal K Pillai, thinks otherwise when he wryly says that “enemies of India are extremely active and we have to be vigilant. Every day we discover new terrorist modules and apprehend terrorist financing activity and some of these helped us in preventing possible attacks.”
Recounting the ongoing steps to keep intelligence machinery on the toes, he said the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) set up in the Union Home Ministry meets daily to share intelligence information from across the country. A Crime and Criminal Tracking Network (CCTN) is on the anvil with information technology (IT) company Wipro as service providers. Once this is in place, any police station across the country can access any crime details in a jiffy. Alongside, a parallel move to connect all our missions abroad with immigration/ FRRO offices is also afoot so that information about any suspected foreigner travelling to India would be obtained much in advance against the extant practice of somebody getting a visa in Chicago but the information about this coming in diplomatic bag after the suspect arrived here, Mr Pillai quipped. “Once all these are in place, though not foolproof, you have substantially enhanced your capability to thwart a terrorist plot,” Mr Pillai asserts.
Following are the excerpts from the interview Mr Pillai gave to
What is the solid achievement of the recent Home Secretary level talks with Pakistan?
We have made positive gains. For the first time, Pakistan Judicial Commission is coming to examine the magistrate, the investigating officer and the doctors that help them to make the case against the people they have caught there. Of course, we still believe that some other masterminds were not yet caught but this evidence will help to literally tighten the case against these people. Pakistan also agreed in principle to let our commission to go there in reciprocity. The judicial committee for prisoners is going to Pakistan from April 19 to 23 as there are still 19 to 20 prisoners languishing there. Director General of Narcotic Control Board will be visiting in May to hold talks with his counterpart. A Hot Line is being established between the two Home Secretaries.
While some of the underlying issues on cross-border terrorism still remain unsolved, we have to go step by step and build up confidence and trust before both sides are willing to commit on the serious issues. Commerce Secretaries meeting is being held on April 29 and the Defence Secretaries meeting is taking place on April 22 to consider, among others, the Siachen issue.
What is being done to counter cyber crimes and apprehend hackers who wrought havoc by tampering with the network systems?
The nodal authority for cyber crimes is Mr Gulshan Rai in the Ministry of Information Technology. In light of the threats we perceive from myriads of hackers attacking our system from all over the world, a composite scheme is being put into it so that we start protecting what we call our core interests. Then there is secondary interest and third of course is the large number of computers in many offices and private homes. We are building up the defences to see that our core interests are protected.
What is the status of police reforms and how this force is beefed up to act as a key deterrent to crime?
Law and order is a State subject. As for the Home Ministry, we thought we will set up an example in the Union Territories by demonstrating police reforms and so we set up the Police Complaints Authority and the Security Boards on the administrative front. We have now drafted the Delhi Police Act which incorporates all the provisions of the various police commissions' reports. The draft as finally approved by the Home Minister was put on the Web site and I am hoping for its introduction in the next session of Parliament. The Act would also deal with postings, tenures and transfers of police officers and decisions about them and their tenure.
The basic problem is that police force is under-manned and not well-trained. We need to recruit additional 15 to 16 lakh police personnel into the system in the next 10 years. The 13{+t}{+h} Finance Commission has provided Rs 2,000 crore for upgradation of police training infrastructure because recruitment, training and police infrastructure had been neglected over the last two decades.
Would you amplify the law and order situation in poll-bound States in general and in Tamil Nadu where threats of re-emergence of LTTR cadres are bandied about?
LTTE is there but not a potent force. But we are as careful as we can be. We have security and good intelligence to determine what they are up to before they could do anything. Good intelligence is the key and in the long-term setting up of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) which will consolidate all information from different sources and analytical tools is the answer. The NATGRID has been approved in principle and a detailed project report (DPR) has been put up for the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security. Then we have the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) at the highest level for discussion. Once decisions on these two are made and put in place, intelligence gathering and analysing capabilities would register a quantum jump.
What is the status of the Justice Srikrishna Committee report on the Telangana issue?
We had an all-party meeting after the Committee submitted its reports. Congress is the major party both in Andhra Pradesh and in the Centre and it has to take a call on this. Once the State polls are completed, we will convene the all-party meeting and take it forward.
Are Border States peaceful and do we still entertain any reservation over foreigners visiting North-East?
In Kashmir the state capital will shift in summer to the valley next month which is a hotbed. The interlocutors have submitted their confidence-building report and their political report is expected once the States' polls are completed. The key is governance and unless the State government is able to deliver governance at the grassroots, we will have problems there.
In the North-East, there is no insurgency but only cottage industry extortions. We have removed foreigner restrictions into Manipur and Nagaland to boost tourism and instil self-confidence.