PM warns of terror attack during polls

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday asked security agencies to be “scrupulously bipartisan” while probing terror cases to ensure that the common man does not lose faith in investigative agencies.

Addressing the annual directors-general of police conference, Singh warned that terrorists could disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, besides raising concerns over cyber security and misuse of social media to fan communal passion.

Stressing the need for better intelligence gathering and sharing to tackle terrorism, he said the disclosures made by top terrorists arrested by Indian agencies have confirmed apprehensions that Indian hinterland remains an active area of operation for terror outfits.

“Therefore, we need to ensure that our security apparatus and intelligence sharing platforms such as the Multi Agency Centre constantly hone their skills to stay ahead of the nefarious designs of these terrorist outfits,” the prime minister said.

However, while dealing with terror cases, care needs to be taken so that security forces remain scrupulously bipartisan so that our people do not lose faith in the professionalism of investigative agencies and the secular nature of our polity,” he said.

Another area, which the prime minister highlighted, was cyber security and misuse of social media with special emphasis on the recent Muzaffarnagar riots in Uttar Pradesh and exodus of northeast people from Karnataka. He said to prevent social media misuse police need to find “creative solutions which do not unreasonably curb” freedom of expression and the ease of communication that it provides.

“This leads me to the related issue of cyber security, an area which has been in the news internationally in recent times. I think there is a vast scope for improvement in our present capabilities in this area. Apart from finding technological solutions, we must also concentrate on designing our processes in a manner that our vulnerability to cyber attacks is minimised,” he said.