In the backdrop of government drawing up a comprehensive strategy to tackle radicalization through internet and preventing youth from getting attracted to the ideology of Islamic State (IS), National Investigation Agency (NIA) has for the first time set up a special cell to monitor internet content and chatter.
It will also help the agency generate its own intelligence vis-a-vis terror investigations.
Need of special tools
For this, the agency has acquired state-of-the-art tools (software) from a US software giant. The tools -approved by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) –will help the agency cull out communication having certain key words related to any kind of terrorism or radicalization attempt.
They will also cull out suspect content across various platforms that could be put together to establish patterns through analysis.
Until now, such tools were available only with Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). This makes NIA the only agency outside the intelligence set-up to be allowed such surveillance.
What is NIA?
- National Investigation Agency (NIA)
- NIA is a federal agency established by the Indian Government to combat terror in India.
- It acts as the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency.
- It is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states.
- It came into existence with the enactment of the National Investigation Agency Act 2008 by the Parliament of India on 31 December 2008.
- NIA was created after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as need for a central agency to combat terrorism was realised. The founding Director-General of NIA was Radha Vinod Raju, and he served till 31 January 2010.
- He was succeeded by Sharad Chandra Sinha till March 2013 when he was appointed the member of the National Human Rights Commission of India.
- In July 2013, Sharad Kumar was appointed as the Chief of National Investigation Agency succeeded by N R Wasan.
