Partisan politics may stall NCTC proposal at CMs' meet

NEW DELHI: Politics is likely to come in the way of setting up of the much-touted NCTC as the states ruled by opposition parties may red flag the anti-terror hub proposal despite government diluting most of its controversial provisions.

The Home Ministry des not have high hopes of gettting support of all states to the modified version of the National Counter Terrorism Centre to be discussed at tomorrow's conference of Chief Ministers on internal security here.

"The opposition to NCTC is completely political. Following objections, we have proposed to completely detach the NCTC from the ambit of Intelligence Bureau and no operation will be carried out without taking state into confidence. But still, we are not having high hopes," a senior official said.

According to the draft executive order -- the National Counter Terrorism Centre (Organisations, Functions, powers and Duties) Order, 2013 --, the NCTC will work directly under the Home Ministry and not the IB as proposed earlier.

The head of the NCTC will be called Director NCTC and will be an officer in the rank of Director General of Police who is report to the Home Secretary. "Where a terrorist or a terror group is identified or located, operations against them would be carried out through or in conjunction with state police.

"Where services of special forces are required to assist the state police for any operation, the NCTC shall have the authority to requisition the special forces," the draft executive order says.
According to the February 3, 2012 executive order, the NCTC will work as an "integral" part of Intelligence Bureau and its director will report to the IB chief. Besides, the anti-terror body was given 'power' through the executive order to carry out operations, including arrest, search and seizure, while keeping the concerned state police into the loop.

Those who opposed the Centre's move last year include Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), J Jayalalitha, Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) and Nitish Kumar (Bihar). Banerjee and Jayalalitha are skipping the Chief Ministers' meeting this time.

The latest draft says the NCTC will prepare daily threat assessment, review and disseminate them to all agencies, to ensure that all agencies have access to and receive source intelligence support that is necessary to execute counter terrorism plans and accomplish their assigned task.

It also says the anti-terror body will coordinate existing investigation and intelligence agencies to ensure that all terrorist cases are solved, provide counter terrorism priorities for each stake holders and draw up plans and coordinate actions for counter terrorism.

The NCTC will have a core staff directly recruited and posted in the NCTC. The NCTC will have officers on deputation/ secondment from other agencies such as R&AW, IB, NTRO etc.

It will have three divisions each headed by an officer in the rank of Joint Secretary and the three divisions will be responsible for (i) collection and dissemination of intelligence, (ii) analysis and (iii) operations.

According to the latest draft, the NCTC will integrate intelligence pertaining to terrorism, analyse the same, pursue or mandate other agencies to pursue the different leads and to coordinate with the existing agencies for an effective response.

It will also maintain a comprehensive database of terrorists and their associates, friends, families and supporters of terrorist modules and gangs and all information pertaining to terrorists.

The Multi Agency Centre shall be subsumed in and be a part of the NCTC and all agencies in the Central and State governments will share all information pertaining to terrorism with the NCTC.

The NCTC will coordinate and mandate the collection of further intelligence and the pursuit of leads so as to identify and detect the terrorist/ terrorist groups and their assets, the new draft says.