India Needs National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)
State governments ruled by non-Congress parties opposed the formation of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) due to the apprehension of dominant authority, and unilateral action of the centre over states using the agency would challenge their authority. Consequently, the Indian Government has planned to draft a more transparent and accountable proposal for NCTC to pacify the opposition, that the NCTC be kept out of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and states be given a significant role in counterterrorism activities.
The formation of NCTC is highly justified in coordinating counterterrorism efforts in a vast country like India. Counterterrorism is the shared responsibility of the centre and states, as terrorists do not distinguish between the boundaries of states. As a nodal agency, NCTC would operate closely with other law enforcement and investigating agencies and also state governments in seeking to counter terrorism threats from the neighbouring countries, primarily from Pakistan and Bangladesh-based terrorist groups; countering homegrown Islamic extremists; internecine and separatist threats from northeastern states; threats from Maoist insurgency and last but not the least, nascent vigilantism from fringe Hindu groups. To undermine the ideological motivation and operational and strategic capabilities of terrorist groups, coordination between state and central agencies is very important. States have no such capacity and ability to weaken and destabilize the terrorist networks and their logistic lines within India. States are also not able to handle terror activities with their imperfect and inadequate security infrastructure and, of course, with an inherent lack of political will. For that reason, NCTC is crucial and critical to prevent perplexity and disorder concerning intelligence efforts and ensure that it is a focal point where intelligence is analyzed, and operational conclusions are made.
The worth and significance of NCTC stems from three main drivers --- gathering and analyzing the intelligence, coordinating the intelligence and other security agencies, and carrying out operations. The role of NCTC in gathering intelligence is central and decisive in combating terrorism in India. The NCTC would play a key role in preemption and disrupting terrorist activity in post-incident investigations and its inputs to shielding and defensive security measures. Consequently, NCTC would get an outlook - to identify those engaged in terrorism at all levels of involvement; reveal their hideouts and resources of recruitment; track their weapons and channels of supply; discover their methods for funding terrorism; warn against future attacks and thus prevent them; manage crises by transmitting the information decision-makers require; provide information necessary to carry out counterterrorism actions; disrupt terrorist organization’s communication networks.
Coordination between intelligence agencies and security forces is a key to counterterrorism. According to counterterrorism experts, the plan‘s success relies on the type of intelligence obtained, quality, and adequate circulation in the shortest time possible among all agencies involved. Accordingly, NCTC has to become an accommodating, supportive and centralized organization to allow for efficient and expeditious collection, analysis and dissemination of information regarding terror threats and activities to all the intelligence agencies and security forces involved. For this purpose, the NCTC ought to be tasked with collecting intelligence in real-time to optimize intelligence flow and to coordinate between different agencies like the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), National Information Grid (NATGRID), National Technical Research Organization (NTRO), etc. intelligence agencies of states and union territories and security forces involved in field operations.
The NCTC was granted the power to call for the services of the National Security Guard (NSG) or any other Central special forces. The new proposal envisages that state governments would also be able to apply for not only NSG but also the Marine Commandos of the Navy, Para Commandos of the Army, Garud of the Air Force, and the Special Frontier Force under RAW. However, it would be the most responsive, insightful and complicated ingredient of NCTC to create an operations wing of its own because, without such an operations division, NCTC would be fragmentary and incomplete. The operations division should develop an elite special force similar to SEALS of the United States (US) or Sayeret Matkal of Israel.
The operational methods to counter the terror threats NCTC must investigate include collecting, collating, analyzing and assessing secret intelligence pertinent to the threat and stand-in to countering the threats. Keeping the central and state governments and other important agencies informed about the threats; advising on the correct countermeasures, including protective security; and assisting and supporting other agencies and state governments. As far as investigation is concerned, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would have to be brought under the overall control of NCTC.
NCTC certainly needs charismatic and dynamic leadership both at the executive and political levels. Indian Government should focus on revamping the counterterrorism architecture by making the NCTC an independent institution with executive powers working under the direction of an honest and robust executive, accountable to the country on all matters relating to internal security, whether from a military or police service must be one who has impeccable professional credentials and the capability to oversee intelligence, investigation and operations. To be accountable to Parliament, it would be coherent and rational to place the NCTC under a new Ministry of Internal Security by appointing a highly qualified professional with vast experience in security-related matters to direct and coordinate counterterrorism efforts.
The NCTC will integrate and explore intelligence about terrorism, track or direct other agencies to pursue different leads and coordinate with existing agencies for an effective response. However, the NCTC's recognition and assurance of human rights have been essential to keeping the population away from terrorists and their promises.