Anti-terror meet raises concerns on lack of inter-agency collaboration

The two-day annual AntiTerror Conference 2024, organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, concluded on Friday with a strong emphasis on the need to bridge significant gaps in cooperation between central and state agencies in countering terrorism effectively.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The discussions, spread across five themed sessions, included representatives from various state governments as well as multiple central agencies, such as the Border Security Force (BSF), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) division, National Security Guard (NSG), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

Coordination-or the lack thereof-between central and state agencies emerged as a major area of concern, with a particular emphasis on the need for a standardised, cohesive approach to tackle terrorism.

The two-day brainstorming discussions, which saw inputs from Home Minister Amit Shah and Home Secretary Govind Mohan, highlighted this critical issue.