By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called for the revival of ‘POTA’ (Prevention of Terrorists Act) at the meeting on internal security held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday.
Chouhan also called for the enhancement of the limited resources of the state, keeping in mind the challenges faced because of threats to internal security. He felt that states should be granted greater central assistance and an overall improvement in the criminal justice system could be brought about by implementing the recommendations of the Justice Malimat Committee. He also felt that internal security should be brought within the ambit of plan expenditure instead of non-plan expenditure.
The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and the Chief Ministers of the concerned states also participated in it. Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh Rakesh Sahni and Director General of Police A.R. Panwar were also present at the meeting.
An official Press release here said that the states and the centre should jointly combat the threat posed by terrorism, Naxalism and other separatist movements, the Chief Minister reportedly stated. As for the revival of ‘POTA’ it could be done without being abused and provisions could be made for the same. The Chief Minister said that the state government is considering bringing in an act – the ‘Prevention of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities and Organised Criminal Control Act and before tabling it in the Vidhan Sabha it would be sent to the centre for prior permission.
Chouhan said that Naxalism and terrorism are a threat to peace and development. There is need to put it down with an iron hand. There is need to get at the causes of these evils and to eliminate them. In Madhya Pradesh, development works are being done vigorously as part of measures to eliminate these curses.
The Chief Minister further said that in spite of limited financial resources efforts have been made to make the police force more dynamic. Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori are Naxal affected districts in the state and districts bordering Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh has also witnessed some naxalite related activities. Madhya Pradesh had 8.17 civil police for 10,000 citizens which was less than the national average. It is essential to increase the police force but because of limited financial resources this has not been possible. The Chief Minister made an urgent plea for more financial assistance from the centre.
Referring to the Justice Malimat Committee recommendations the Chief Minister said that these should be implemented as they would bring about a greater improvement in the system. Seeing the diversity of the country it is also essential to have special investigative teams for each state instead of a central agency.
The Chief Minister further claimed that as long as information from the police stations is not made available, the menace of Naxalism and terrorism could not be tackled. A special cell has been created in every police station for this purpose. A special task force/hawk force had also been constituted which is equipped with the most modern weapons. The members of the task force also get a special risk allowance of 70 per cent of their pay. In the year 2006, under the police Director General a special terrorist prevention squad has also been constituted.
To combat terrorism, the Chief Minister also emphasised the need for training of police personnel and said that at present to train 2000 police officers and employees there is the police academy and six police institutes. This was not really adequate. In the coming year the target is to train 3000 police personnel. Major cities, public places, religious places are the prime targets, and these need special attention. Anti-terror squads has to be made more effective. The training of police personnel is being seriously considered by the state government. The State Planning Commission is also considering making available funds for training, investigation, and security and for more police stations and buildings for the police department. ([email protected])