India
Agencies agree to use UAPA judiciously to prevent abuse | India News – Times of India
Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the ‘3rd Anti-Terror Conference’ organized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi (Photo: PTI)
At the end of a two-day anti-terror conference organized by the NIA in New Delhi, there was broad consensus that the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act, though a powerful legal instrument to tackle terror, must be invoked carefully and judiciously to avoid possible prevent abuse. and to maintain its effectiveness in the fight against terrorism.
The participants, comprising 39 heads of central and state police units and 150 delegates from across the country, agreed on the need for a holistic and well-rounded strategy to tackle terrorism, encompassing the entire anti-terror framework of the country , from the government to terrorism. the level of the police station.
In his concluding remarks, Home Minister Govind Mohan urged the state police to commit to capacity building to effectively combat terrorism. He urged states to send competent officers to the NIA, adding that this would not only help guide the growth of the agency but also enrich the investigative culture at home when these officers return to their state cadre.
NIA will hold several more capacity building sessions for states, he announced, adding that more NFSU campuses and CFSLs were also in the pipeline to promote the quality of digital evidence and secure conviction in terror cases.
While underlining the role of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) in tackling financial and cyber-related crimes in a coordinated manner, Mohan reiterated Home Minister Amit Shah’s views on the need of all police and investigative services. agencies and armed forces to share information in real time.
Participants took part in thematic sessions on topics such as ‘prosecution and evolving legal framework in counter-terrorism investigations’, ‘significant case studies in terror investigations’, ’emerging technologies’, ‘dismantling the terror ecosystem’ and ‘comprehensive CT strategies’.
Police chiefs called for global cooperation to tackle terrorists’ misuse of social media amid varying content moderation policies. The session on case studies in terror investigations discussed the Rameshwaram Cafe blast investigation in which central agencies and various state police forces had worked together to solve the case. Against the backdrop of emerging technologies, the need to pool resources to overcome cyber and technical limitations was emphasized.