New Delhi: The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) - country's specialized anti-terror body -- will become operational from March 1 and will have a Standing Council comprising chiefs of counter-terror outfits in states and others as its lynchpin. It will have powers to requisition 'elite' forces like NSG and marine commandos to carry out operations against terrorists.
The Standing Council will comprise members of anti-terror agencies in states, in what is being seen as a step to encourage the states to develop a stake in the pooling of information and intelligence inputs.
This coupled with the powers under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to make arrests and carry out search operations across the country are designed to get around the problem of law and order being a state subject: a constitutional scheme that is seen as essential for country's federal polity but which has hampered cooperation between the Centre and the state as well as among states themselves.
The NCTC was notified on Friday with adequate legal cover under the UAPA as a 'designated authority'.
The director of NCTC along with its joint directors will be a part of the Standing Council. The body will have three divisions with each of them being earmarked for collection and dissemination of intelligence; analysis and operations.
The Council, which has been devised a way to take states into loop for every major decision, will meet frequently and use 'video conference' for regular interaction and review the "daily threat assessment". "It will also ensure that the NCTC is the single and effective point of control and coordination of all counter- terrorism measures," said a government notification.
The forces that can be requisitioned by the NCTC for operations may not just be restricted to commando units like the National Security Guard (NSG), marine commandos (MarCos) of the Indian Navy and CoBRA of the Central Reserve Police Force. The anti-terror body can use even those combat forces that may not be in public domain, but exist for various 'covert' operations within the country.
The notification, made public on Monday, said: "All civil authorities in the country (including of states) and all Indian authorities located outside country (including Indian Missions) will act in aid of the NCTC in respect of the duties and functions entrusted to this body".
The central anti-terror body will have power to seek any kind of information, including documents, reports, transcripts and cyber details from "any agency furnishing or obliged to furnish such information" under the conditions of confidentiality. It will also have power to set up inter-state intelligence support teams.
The NCTC will maintain a comprehensive data base of terrorists and their associates; friends, families and supporters; of terrorist modules and gangs and all information pertaining to terrorists.
It will also coordinate with existing investigation and intelligence agencies to ensure that all terrorist cases are solved and the perpetrators are brought to justice.
On structure of the organization, the notification said that the NCTC, to be headed by a director who will be in the rank of additional director in Intelligence Bureau (IB), will have core staff drawn from the personnel of IB.
It will also have officers on deputation from other Central agencies like Research & Analysis Wing (India's external intelligence agency), joint intelligence committee, National Technical Research Organization and intelligence wings of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, DGMI, CBDT, central economic intelligence bureau and Narcotics Control Bureau.
