Emphasising the importance of ensuring “zero delay” in counterterrorism operations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday called for institutionalising an “automated response mechanism” at every level of the country’s counter-terror framework ‘PRAHAAR’.Inaugurating the conference on ‘PRAHAAR – CT Policy and Strategy’, Shah also launched a dedicated extradition portal aimed at expediting efforts to bring fugitives back to India.
The new portal brings on one platform MHA, MEA, CBI and state agencies in the extradition efforts when a fugitive is detained abroad and extradition request is supposed to be transmitted to the country with the approval of the competent court, sources said.
Shah stressed the need for a “proactive, result-oriented approach to counterterrorism” and urged agencies to institutionalise an “automated response mechanism” at every level.
He also stressed on the need for consistent efforts to strengthen and improvise the PRAHAAR strategy through a “continuous analysis of terror incidents” and establishing a strong and concrete mechanism for the next 10 years, a government statement said.
Focussing on percolation of the tenets of PRAHAAR up to the ‘thana’ (police station) level, Shah called for adopting a proactive approach towards every aspect of the PRAHAAR initiative.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had unveiled country’s first national counter-terrorism policy in February titled ‘PRAHAAR’, outlining a multi-layered strategy anchored in “zero tolerance”, intelligence-led prevention and coordinated disruption of extremist violence.
In the conference on Monday, Shah mentioned various steps undertaken for mitigating terrorist threats, the statement said.
Impressing upon the necessity of result-oriented approach towards each pillar of PRAHAAR, Shah called for “zero delay” in action and underlined that coordination among stakeholders is essential, stressing that each pillar of the strategy should have a result-oriented approach.
He pointed out that as a result of better coordination among agencies, more than 40 modules of Shahzad Bhatti network involved in cross-border smuggling of weapons, explosives and narcotics were busted, more than 100 FIRs were registered and 350 individuals were arrested across 15 states.
He also said that at the same time, the Modi government declared Shahzad Bhatti network a terrorist organisation under UAPA.The conference focused on the seven pillars of the PRAHAAR strategy: Prevention, Response, Aggregating Internal Capacities, Human Rights, Attenuating Conditions for Terrorism, Aligning International Efforts, and Recovery and Resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
The new extradition portal is intended to bring together and streamline efforts to secure the return of fugitives from abroad, the statement said.Shah urged state police forces to establish dedicated teams to work closely with central agencies on extradition cases.
He said from 2019 to 2026, the Modi government successfully brought back 288 fugitive criminals to India from 36 countries.
The conference was attended by Union home secretary, foreign secretary, heads of Central Armed Police Forces and Central Police Organizations, directors general of police from 15 states and Anti-Terrorism Squad chiefs from all states and Union territories.
Other state police chiefs and senior police officers participated virtually.