There has been an increase in the number of such attacks. It is therefore imperative that we take a new approach to tackling this problem. Law and order is a state subject and it is primarily the duty of the state governments to ensure that peace and the rule of law prevails. But state government sometimes don’t have basic intelligence gathering capabilities, let alone the ability to contain such activities. In most cases the state police are stretched to capacity and they therefore cannot match the resources and know-how of terrorist organisations, especially the ones that operate with the help of a global network.

It’s important to realise that information is pivotal for being better prepared in combating the challenges of terrorism. It is the beat constable on the street whether in uniform or undercover, who is closest to the action. It is he who needs to be better trained and equipped.

If we need to catch the perpetrators and bring them to justice, we also need to strengthen our prosecution procedures so that such people don’t get off the hook because of “lack of credible evidence” or due to the “witness turning hostile”.

The new wave of terror attacks has brought with it a new breed of terrorists. These are people who are single-mindedly focused on bringing to fruit their evil designs by leaving behind as few traces or clues as possible. Members of such groups that are active in some parts of India sleep on railway platforms or footpaths, don’t rent hotels or guest houses, travel on foot or take rickshaws and never take taxis and autos, never use credit cards or mobiles. In other words, they try and leave almost no trail for the investigating teams to follow. These are highly motivated individuals who will not hesitate to give up their own lives in order to accomplish their dreaded missions.

... contd.