From probing terror to counselling radicals, National Investigation Agency's role is expanding

NEW DELHI: As India deals with instances of its young being drawn towards the Islamic State (IS), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is emerging as a key agency in efforts to de-radicalise and prevent such youth from joining the IS. The pro-active role for NIA, essentially a post-terror investigation body, is on the lines of FBI that handles similar counter-violent extremism efforts in the US.



Not only has NIA assisted the Kerala government in debriefing, assessing and counselling the young men deported recently from UAE for being in touch with IS elements, but its officers have been actively involved in tracking vulnerable youth from other parts of the country , including Hyderabad and Delhi, and dissuading them from joining the outfit's “war“ in Syria and Iraq.

A senior home ministry official said though the NIA's pro-active engagement in evolving and implementing the government's de-radicalisation plan is not a formal arrangement yet, it is a conscious decision to involve the young and lean agency in countering violent extremism on the lines of FBI.

The FBI, the US' premier agency for terror investigation, has a Counter Violent Extremism Office (CVEO), that works with federal counterparts and local partners to prevent extremists or their supporters from inspiring, radicalising, financing or recruiting individuals or entities based on its soil to commit acts of violence.

Just like FBI's counter-terrorism experts, NIA officers who have been dealing with radicalised terrorists as part of their investigations, are helping the state law enforcement agencies in India to understand the psyche of the indoctrinated menwomen and work on their de-radicalisation in close coordination with the intelligence agencies.

"Our officers, with their sound background in terror investigations and dealing with a cross-section of terror accused, have developed a good understanding of what drives young minds to violent extremism. We have analysed their post-radicalisation psyche and know the behavioral changes that may indicate radicalisation. For example, if a person who has never visited a mosque suddenly turns overtly religious and shuns those who do not believe in radical extremism on the social media, it is a fair indicator of his radicalised status," a senior NIA official told TOI.

Unlike many countries like the US, Australia and UK that have identified and developed "triggers" to alert them on radicalised residents looking to join IS, India still relies on investigation leads and alerts by a loved one to detect and track radicalisation. "NIA with just 600-700 staff can hardly compare with FBI, but we do have a trained staff with a good understanding of triggers and indicators of radicalization and how to deal with the indoctrinated elements," said an NIA officer.