The government of India is planning to revive the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a project conceived by the UPA government in 2012 but vehemently opposed by then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi.
The idea was earlier shelved after state government’s raised an opposition.
However, according to sources Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi informed the parliamentary standing committee that “no final decision” has been taken on the issue yet.
The NCTC was the brainchild of former Union home minister P Chidambaram, who now heads the standing committee as an opposition member, and it was modelled on the NCTC formed in the United States after the 9/11 attacks.
The idea was put into cold storage back then, after objections from several state governments over the powers proposed for the body. The state governments termed the centre an infringement upon their powers under the federal structure.
“The NCTC is not dead and buried. We are planning to establish it without involving states in it,” said a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. He refused to divulge more details on new proposal.
The UPA cabinet had cleared NCTC in 2012 in order to integrate and analyse all intelligence pertaining to terrorism.
The order in 2012 stated that the operations wing of the NCTC will have the power to arrest and search under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). State governments of West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh opposed it saying law and order is a state subject.
