We are vigilant and fully alive to LeT threat: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: Asserting that India was "fully alive" to terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba's (LeT) threat, home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said authorities were on their guard. When asked specifically about the New York Times report which claimed that LeT was planning to mount a 26/11 type attack on India again, the minister said he was not aware of the source of such reports.

"LeT is active. We are aware of their activities. We are vigilant and fully alive to the threat by LeT," Chidambaram said.

While presenting his ministry's monthly report, Chidambaram clarified the home ministry's stand in filing a second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. Defending the move to file a second affidavit, Chidambaram said, "We have filed a second affidavit because the first one was being misinterpreted by some quarters to shield the alleged fake encounter. Whether the encounter is fake or real has to be decided by the court."

He added that the home ministry's intention was to clarify that central intelligence agencies share intelligence inputs with states on a regular basis and these inputs should not be looked at as "conclusive proof". "The inputs are leads for further investigation. They do not justify any encounter," the minister said.

Reacting to railway minister Mamta Banerjee's demand for President's rule in West Bengal, Chidambaram admitted that Banerjee had complained about her party workers suffering in inter-party clashes. "I have asked for a report in some cases," the minister said. He added that it was the WB government's responsibility to maintain law and order and ensure that such clashes did not take place.

The home ministry has, in the last month, notified two international covenants including the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Comprehensive advisories were issued to all states and Union Territories on crime against women and measures required to curb the menace and preventing and combating human trafficking in India.