On February 23, the government of India unveiled the country's first counter-terrorism policy, "Prahaar," which outlines a multi-layered strategy based on a "zero tolerance" approach, intelligence-led prevention, and disruption of extremist violence. The policy aims to deny terrorists, their financiers, and supporters access to funds, weapons, and safe havens.
The policy, developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, is based on seven key pillars to counter terrorist threats originating from India or abroad: prevention, response, building internal capabilities, upholding human rights and the rule of law, mitigating conditions enabling terrorism, aligning international efforts against terrorism, and fostering recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.
The document states that India has experienced sporadic instability in its neighborhood, which has sometimes created ungoverned spaces. Additionally, some countries in the region have, at times, used terrorism as a tool of state policy.
However, India does not link terrorism to any specific religion, ethnicity, nationality, or civilization. India has consistently denounced terrorism and its use by any actor for any purpose, unambiguously and unequivocally.
The document states that India's policy of "zero tolerance" against terrorism is informed by this principled approach.
The document highlights that India has been affected by sponsored terrorism from across the border, with Jihadi terror groups and their frontal organizations continuing to plan, coordinate, facilitate, and execute terror attacks in India. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have also targeted India, attempting to incite violence through sleeper cells.
Terrorists operating from foreign soil have hatched conspiracies to promote violence in India, using technologies such as drones to facilitate terror-related activities and attacks in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Increasingly, terrorist groups are engaging organised criminal networks for logistics and recruitment to execute and facilitate terror strikes in India. These groups use social media platforms and instant messaging applications for propaganda, communication, funding, and guiding terror attacks.
The policy notes that technological advancements, such as encryption and dark web, have allowed these groups to operate anonymously. Disrupting/intercepting terrorist efforts to access and use CBRNED (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) material remains a challenge for Counter Terrorism (CT) agencies. The threat of state and non-state actors misusing drones and robotics for lethal purposes remains a concern, even as criminal hackers and nation states continue to target India through cyber-attacks.
India's approach to preventing and countering threats is described as "proactive" and "intelligence-guided," noting that the country faces risks across air, land, and water.
Under its prevention strategy, primacy is given to intelligence gathering and dissemination to executive agencies to neutralise threats, with a special emphasis on disrupting terror-funding networks through the legal framework under Indian laws.
Close partnerships have been established between central agencies and state police forces through the Multi-Agency Centre and the Joint Task Force on Intelligence in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the document said.
"Operationalisation of the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) along with the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) remains the nodal platform for efficient and real-time sharing of CT (counter terrorism) related inputs across the country and subsequent prevention against disruptions," it said.
The document highlighted the misuse of the internet for communication, recruitment, glorification of jihad and other terror-related activities, which are countered through proactive disruption of such cyber activities, online networks of terrorist groups and their propaganda and recruitment by intelligence and counter-terror agencies.
"Law enforcement agencies also regularly disrupt the overground worker (OGW) modules, through which terrorists are extended logistic, material and financial support. In recent times, a nexus between illegal arms syndicates and terrorist groups has emerged, and for combatting it, coordinated interventions are being made by the intelligence agencies along with the respective law enforcement agencies in various Indian states. Special emphasis is given to disrupting terror funding networks through the legal framework under Indian laws," it said.
Responding to a terror attack is a multi-stakeholder exercise involving various agencies at the central, state and district levels, with a standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for coordination at the apex level, including intelligence dissemination, analysis and follow-up action through the MAC platform.
The overall capacities of various law enforcement and CT agencies have been enhanced by identifying the resource gaps and suggesting necessary counter-measures.
"Indian laws, including anti-terrorism laws, give due importance to human rights. India adheres to the 'Rule of Law', where laws are just, applied evenly and protect fundamental rights," it said, highlighting that "multiple levels of legal redressal are available to any accused through an elaborate infrastructure of justice system from the districts, through states, right up to the higher judiciary at the central level".
The policy said issues of poverty and unemployment among vulnerable communities are addressed through various government schemes and initiatives to prevent inimical elements from misusing these conditions to their advantage.
International cooperation, which ranges from bilateral and multilateral treaties, has resulted in the disruption and indictment of many terrorist and radical entities in India and abroad, the deportation of wanted fugitives and support in the pursuit to designate wanted terrorists at the United Nations.
"The government engages a team of doctors, psychologists, lawyers and other members of civil society, including NGOs, religious and community leaders, to sensitise and reintegrate the affected community," the policy said.
Besides capacity building of the CT agencies, the document also highlights that the domestic counter-terrorism legal regime needs to be amended from time to time to respond to the emerging challenges and associate legal experts at every stage of investigation, right from the registration of an FIR to its culmination in prosecution, to make cases against perpetrators.
"Terrorist groups based outside, nowadays, use the infrastructure, logistics and terrain knowledge of local outfits for launching attacks. National actions, coupled with international and regional cooperation, are key elements in addressing trans-national terrorism challenge," the policy said.
Expressing its commitment to continue its efforts with the international community and counter the global challenge of misuse of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for terrorist purposes, the document said investments in technology and partnerships with private enterprises have been included to mitigate futuristic terror threats.