Internal strife in Manipur, terror groups shifting focus to Jammu, pro-Khalistan transnational threats in Punjab and NCR and cyber criminals on the prowl across states are some of the key internal security challenges that will be discussed at the two-day conference of police chiefs in Bhubaneswar beginning today.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah make it a point to interact closely with the state police brass and central agencies, a trend followed in the last decade, the focus is also on the follow-up actions in the last one year to make the discussions more fruitful.
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The porous Indo-Myanmar border has been flagged as a major security threat in successive discussions on border management and security, prompting the Union home ministry to scrap the free movement regime early this year.
But, on ground, there is a rising concern over insurgent groups establishing their camps across the border and taking advantage of the porous stretch to carry out extortion and violence in Manipur.
Non-state actors resorting to smuggling, narcotics trade, weapons running are proving to be major threats in the northeast where the largest insurgent group, the NSCN(IM), is also threatening to break the decades-old ceasefire if there is no final settlement in sight. A restive northeast would require special attention of the home ministry during the discussions, security officials said.
On the other hand, the Jammu and Kashmir police are likely to shed light on the steps being taken to prevent Jammu from turning into yet another theatre of militant activities as cross-border routes of infiltrators are finding safe havens in the jungles, prompting security forces to tweak their strategy of counter-terror operations. The home ministry officials have been looking at the positive outcomes of the recently held assembly elections that passed off peacefully with a high voter turnout and emphasis is on not losing the gains and keeping a strict watch on any attempts by non-state actors to disrupt peace both in the Valley and in Jammu region.
There is, however, persistent concern over the pro-Khalistan terror modules being active on foreign shores. Police chiefs of states are likely to discuss the concerns in Punjab and neighbouring states where transnational criminal terror networks are proving to be a headache for security forces. The criminal gangs have spread networks from jails and recruiting foot soldiers across states, including Maharashtra, which requires inter-state coordination to tackle the menace, said a state security official.
Meanwhile, the police brass and intelligence agencies are also likely to brainstorm on vulnerabilities in the cyber domain as digital frauds are impacting the common man. Low conviction rates in cyber crime cases, gaps in technology to counter threats from sophisticated cyber criminals and slow pace of states in acquiring latest tools for forensic science labs are some of the issues that are expected to draw the attention of the home ministry which has been prompting state police forces to make cops tech-savvy.