NEW DELHI, Nov 23: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today warned that terrorist groups may try to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and asked security forces to remain alert.
Voicing concern over a “substantial increase” in the number of communal incidents in some States, he said they must be tackled with utmost firmness, without prejudice, fear or favour.
“There is a likelihood of attempts (by terror groups) to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The security forces need to be careful,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a conference of country’s top police brass here.
Referring to the recent communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh which claimed many lives and displaced thousands, Singh said law and order agencies must ensure that trivial or local issues are not exploited by vested interests to inflame communal passions.
“During the current year some States have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of communal incidents. We cannot afford such a state of affairs…. Once disturbances occur they must be tackled with utmost firmness, without prejudice, fear or favour,” he told the conference of Directors General Police and Inspectors General of Police.
The Prime Minister said State DGPs have the responsibility to ensure that their police force acts in the required manner in preventing communal actions.
Expressing concern over misuse of social media for fanning tension in the society, Singh said the country has witnessed misuse of social media and SMSes during the recent disturbances in Muzaffarnagar and also last year.
“There is a need to find creative solutions which do not curb the freedom of expression and the ease of communication that social media provides,” he said.
Singh asked security forces to remain “scrupulously bipartisan” in probing terror cases so that people do not lose faith in the professionalism of investigative agencies and the secular nature of country’s polity.
Referring to the four major terror incidents this year in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Bodhgaya and Patna, Singh said the disclosures made by the arrested members of the terrorist outfits confirm apprehensions that hinterland of the country remains an active area of operation for these outfits.
“Therefore, we need to ensure that our security apparatus and intelligence sharing platforms such as the Multi Agency Centre constantly hone their skills to stay ahead of the nefarious designs of these terrorist outfits,” Singh said in his address to the country top police brass here.
However, the Prime Minister cautioned that while dealing with terror cases, “care needs to be taken that security forces remain scrupulously bipartisan so that our people do not lose faith in the professionalism of investigative agencies and the secular nature of our polity.”
Referring to recent “volatile” situation at the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir which saw increased ceasefire violations and attempts to cross over by militants, Singh said resurgence of terrorist groups, particularly Lashkar-e-Toiba and increased infiltration attempts call for heightened vigil and coordination by our security forces.
Against the backdrop of rape and other crimes, Singh favoured putting in place institutional mechanisms to ensure safety and security of women and children.
Singh said the tragic rape and murder of a young girl in Delhi last December not only brought into sharp focus the issue of women’s safety but also the rising expectations of the people from the police in preventing such crimes.
“We have recently enacted several laws providing stringent punishment for such crimes and more sensitive treatment of victims during investigation and trial.
“We also need to put in place other institutional mechanisms to ensure the safety and security of women and children. I expect the DGPs of States to show leadership in this area,” he said.
The Prime Minister, however, did not elaborate what the institutional mechanism would be.
The comments come in the midst of the raging controversy over the alleged sexual assault on a woman colleague by Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal.
After the December 16 incident, the Government had amended various provisions of law and strengthened those related to crime against women and children.
About the recent Chhattisgarh elections, he said the high voting percentage in Naxal-affected areas clearly underlined the faith of the local population in democracy.
He also stressed the need to improve the quality of governance and the pace of development in the Naxal-affected areas and said it was important not to allow any let up in efforts to root out the menace of Naxalism and continue to build on successes.
He also commended the intelligence, police, para-military forces for having done commendable work during polls in the naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
While congratulating the Intelligence Bureau (IB), he said It was the intelligence gathered by IB that had led to the arrest of some suspects of several terror attacks.
“I am very happy that the Intelligence Bureau, or IB as it is commonly called, has achieved some major successes in this special year,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also held discussions with the police chiefs on various contentious issues including Naxalism, cross-border terrorism and the use of social media in fanning communal disturbances.
The conference, which was inaugurated by Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, held brain-storming sessions on several aspects of security-related issues and Naxalism with particular focus on making police stations ‘nerve centres’ of all law and order activities.
National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon who addressed the Conference yesterday, called for strengthening coastal areas, mainly in Southern states.
The Prime Minister also lauded the “stellar contribution” by officers and men of the police and para-military forces during relief and rescue operations in Uttarakhand.
Pointing out that during the current year, some States had witnessed a substantial increase in the number of communal incidents and a major communal clash in Muzaffarnagar and the adjoining districts of Western Uttar Pradesh in September took a large toll of lives and displaced thousands of innocent people.
“This is most worrisome. It sounds like a cliché but is necessary to say that we simply cannot afford such a state of affairs to continue. Our law and order agencies must, therefore, ensure that trivial or local issues are not exploited by vested interests to flame communal passions,” he said.
Calling for curbing such disturbances with utmost firmness and speed, without prejudice, fear or favour, he said State Governments had the responsibility to ensure this, and State DGPs had the responsibility to ensure that their police forces acted in the required manner in preventing communal tensions and dealing with them.
Referring to cyber security, he said there was vast scope for improvement in India’s present capabilities in this area.
Apart from finding technological solutions, there was a need to concentrate on designing processes to minimise cyber attacks. (Agencies)
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