NCTC row: How to lose allies and alienate the opposition

The recent embarrassment regarding the formulation of the "National counter terrorism centre" is another chink in the armour for the centre which is already in a weak position.

P Chidambaram's black marks, Manmohan Singh's silence, Strong chief ministers, Dual ruling, lack of cooperation among allies and leaving the opposition out in the cold are some of the factors that has brought this system to such a fragile condition.

NV Subramanyam elaborates...

NCTC row: How to lose allies and alienate the opposition

A necessary step to counter terror

"Home Minister P. Chidambaram's note to Chief Ministers on the National Centre for Counter Terrorism (NCTC)"

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : A necessary step to counter terror: 

To IB or not to IB, that is the question

"India needs a National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) but it should be designed better."

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : To IB or not to IB, that is the question: Indian NCTC is to be given powers of arrest and searches as part of its preventive operations. Granting these powers to the IB through the NCTC mechanism could have two undesirable consequences. First, there may be allegations of misuse of the IB for harassing political opponents. Secondly, the IB's role as a clandestine intelligence collection organisation may get affected.

The IB will be preoccupied with defending its arrests before the courts and against allegations of human rights violations. Today, the IB enjoys protection from the Right to Information Act. If it has these powers and adds policing to its functions, it may no longer be able to enjoy this protection.

Home ministry should re-visit the proposed NCTC architecture in consultation with political parties and the States.

Spies shouldn't police us

"The Ministry of Home Affairs' proposal to arm the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) with the power to conduct searches and make arrests derives. Indians should understand why the idea is profoundly misguided."

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Spies shouldn't police us: Intelligence Bureau is not an organisation that is, or ought to be, concerned with criminal justice. Blurring the distinction between intelligence-gathering and policing will open up the possibility of abuses. The Union government already has an investigative service with a nationwide mandate, the National Investigation Agency.

IB has historically devoted extensive resources to political surveillance. Handing it the power to arrest will expand the possibility of political misuse. More importantly, India's counter-terrorism efforts have floundered because State police forces lack the training, resources and manpower needed to conduct effective investigations.