10 yrs on, NSG audit shows chinks in 20 states’ armour
NEWDELHI: On November 6, weeks before the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba will host a meeting with state director generals of police (DGPs) and home secretaries to discuss improving the counterterrorism capabilities of state police departments based on the first-ever audit of these conducted by the National Security Guards (NSG).
The audit, a follow-up to the home ministry’s recommendations after the 26/11 attacks, has found the capability of the police apparatus to fight terrorist attacks in at least 20 states including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to be average or below average .
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra were placed in the very good category while Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police were good.
The elite force carried out the audit between March and June this year. According to home ministry officials who asked not to be identified, the director general of NSG has been asked to present the audit report to the state DGPs in the conference.
Home minister Rajnath Singh is conscious of the need to enhance the counter-terrorism capabilities of the police departments across states, the officials added. After the Mumbai attack, which left 174 dead and 304 injured, it was decided that all state police departments would have a dedicated counter-terrorism force which would be the first responder in a terrorist attack. NSG was designated as a second responder but it was tasked to train all specialised counter-terrorism forces of the states such as Octopus in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Force One in Maharashtra and Chetak in Gujarat.
Punjab, a state that has faced decades of Pakistan-instigated Khalistani terrorism, still does not have a specialised force and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal has just announced the raising of Kavach, a specialised counter-terrorism force.