Kerala   

A new internal security arm for intelligence wing Law & order

To strengthen surveillance of extremist forces and subversive elements, the State police are giving shape to an internal security arm attached to the intelligence wing. This branch will also be entrusted with counter-intelligence operations.

The Home Department has appointed an Inspector-General of Police, N.C. Hastana, for the branch. Additional Director-General of Police (Intelligence) Jacob Punnoose will head it.

Last week, the State government issued orders creating four new posts in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Thrissur and Kozhikode ranges. Four Superintendents of Police will be appointed within a month. New Circle inspectors and sub-inspectors will be drawn from the local police and existing Special Branch Crime Investigation Department. Other officials will be taken from Kerala Rifles, a senior official said. The new recruits will be trained in internal security measures. Another idea is to convert the Police Training College in Thiruvananthapuram into a Southern Training Centre for police personnel.

An official says the programmes have been initiated in the wake of bomb blasts in metros and threats to the country. Another factor is the increasing threat from Naxalites and religious fundamentalists in the State. Several outfits have started coordinating activities in southern States.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan this week warned that Naxalities had been attempting to network with like-minded groups in the State. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) had earlier alerted that Naxalities and Left extremist organisations such as Maoists had been trying to get a foothold in the State and open a Nepal-Kerala corridor.

Wayanad and Idukki districts, which have significant tribal population as well as forest belts, have been identified by Naxalites to carry out training programmes and get support at the grassroots.

Officials say the State lack a specialised agency to deal with terrorists. The smaller units of the State Special Branch monitor communal and terrorist organisations. VIP security is now handled by the district special branches.

The formation of a new wing will not only bring professionalism into intelligence gathering but also loosen the burden of the special branches. No specific role has been assigned to the internal security wing till now. As a first step, it will be given charge to look into the security of President Pratibha Patil during her maiden visit to the State on November 1, officials say. Top IB officials feel that Kerala should have fashioned an exclusive wing for internal security as other States, such as Maharashtra, which has an Anti-Terrorist Squad with headquarters in Nagpur.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs recently came up with the idea of a Federal Investigative Agency to deal with cases having inter-State and internal security ramifications.

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