Emerging terror threats in focus as top security agencies hold coordination meeting in Panchkula

Chandigarh, August 29 (PTI) A high-level coordination meeting of the country's top security agencies was held in Panchkula on Friday, focusing on a joint strategy to counter emerging terror threats and the evolving challenges of organised crime in North India.

The objective was to further strengthen the security framework through coordination, capacity building, and preventive strategies, officials said.

"A high-level coordination meeting of the country's top security agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Investigation Agency (NIA), National Security Guard (NSG), and the DGPs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh was held at Moginand in Panchkula,” an official statement said.

Addressing the meeting, NIA Director General Sadanand Date said the infrastructure of terrorism is constantly evolving. With the use of digital platforms and new technologies, the strategies of terrorists have become more complex than ever before.

In such a scenario, security agencies must upgrade their functioning to keep pace with the times, Date said.

Emphasising that during “golden hour”, every agency must be clear on what, when and how to act, the NIA DG stressed that joint exercises and coordination remain the most effective weapons in the fight against terrorism.

NSG Director General B Srinivasan delivered a PowerPoint presentation on “Joint Counter-terrorism Response” and informed that training sessions and exercises on the topic have been organised at different levels in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh.

So far, 609 security personnel in Haryana, 560 in Himachal Pradesh, and 261 in Chandigarh have been trained in bomb disposal techniques, tactical driving, customised counter-terror capsules, etc., he said.

Srinivasan also provided essential information on the National IED Management System (NIDMS).

Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur briefed the meeting about the state-level preparedness, stating that 53 Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams have been deployed across the state, acting as first responders in any violent or extreme situation.

Additionally, large-scale advanced weapons training is being provided to police personnel. DGP Kapur also highlighted that the nexus between terrorists and major criminals has emerged as a significant challenge, requiring capacity building.

He added that publicising names and photos of criminals in the media boosts their notoriety and influences young minds. To counter this, the Haryana Assembly has passed a special resolution requesting the media not to glorify such elements, he said.

The officer also urged the neighbouring states – Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh – to make similar requests to the media houses in their respective jurisdictions.

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, Chandigarh DGP Sagar Preet Hooda, and Himachal Pradesh ADGP Gyaneshwar Singh shared the best practices from their respective states.

NIA Inspector General Vijay Sakahare, Haryana CID Inspector General Manish Chaudhary, and Haryana STF Inspector General Satish Balan also presented their views on the new challenges related to terrorism and organised crime.

The meeting concluded with a clear message – the fight against terrorism is not possible through weapons or technology alone, but through unwavering coordination and trust among agencies, the statement said.

The nation's security wall will become truly impenetrable only when intelligence inputs are shared in real time, training and capacity building continue uninterrupted, and all forces respond swiftly during the “golden hour”, it added. PTI SUN VSD ARI