Following a request by Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has confirmed that he will direct officials to set up a Permanent Station House of the NIA in Bengaluru soon. The prompt action by Shah comes in the wake of increased terror-related activities in Bengaluru and across Karnataka in the last few years.
Surya, the newly-nominated National President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, met the Home Minister two days ago and stressed on the need to establish a branch office of the headquarters of the NIA in Bengaluru on the lines of those currently in Hyderabad and Kochi.
“It is a matter of grave concern that NIA investigations into the DJ Halli and KG Halli mob violence in August have indicated that many terrorist organisations are using Bengaluru as their incubation centre for carrying out anti-India activities,” Surya said in a statement.
Stressing on the importance to keep Bengaluru free from terror activities, the MP says a well-equipped and sufficiently staffed NIA office would help mitigate such activities. At present, NIA does not have sufficient infrastructure and human resources for conducting investigations, and the agency is currently operating with a skeletal staff and with only a camp office in Bengaluru.
“Bengaluru being the financial nerve centre of South India, it is vital to keep the city safe from all terrorist and anti-India organisations and their activities. That being the case, it’s also important to power the investigating agency, the NIA, with adequate infrastructure and personnel to conduct their probe into terror-related activities in Karnataka,” opined the MP.
The request for a branch office of NIA in Bengaluru was made in the backdrop of an NIA investigation in March 2020 that revealed a 4 terror-accused in Bengaluru helped ISIS member Khaja Mohideen procure weapons and material for establishing a base in the forests of South India, for waging violent jihad in India.
Home Minister Shah has assured Surya that he would direct officials to establish a Permanent Station House manned by an office of the rank of the SP at the earliest.
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