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Context

The Union Home Minister called for establishing a common Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) structure across the country and directed state Directors General of Police to implement it at the earliest.  

What is Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS)?

The ATS is a specialized police force constituted by state governments to tackle terrorism with a focused and intelligence-driven approach.

 Its creation was often a direct response to major terror incidents that highlighted the limitations of conventional policing.

Primary Mission: To prevent, detect, and investigate terrorist activities, track terror financing, and dismantle sleeper cells within a state's jurisdiction.

Proactive Operations: Unlike regular police, the ATS works proactively to gather intelligence on terror modules and disrupt their plans before they can be executed.

ATS vs Central Agencies 

While both state ATS units and central agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) combat terrorism, they operate under different legal and jurisdictional frameworks.

Constitutional and Legal Framework

'Police' and 'Public Order' are State List subjects under the Constitution's Seventh Schedule, giving states exclusive authority to legislate on and manage their police forces, including establishing and operating their ATS units.

Key Legislations Empowering ATS

• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA): Primary anti-terror law in India. The 2019 amendment to the UAPA empowers the central government to designate individuals as terrorists and allows the NIA to seize properties linked to terrorism.
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023: Replaces the Indian Penal Code (IPC), contains provisions related to offences against the state that are relevant to terrorism.
• The Arms Act, 1959: Used for cases involving the procurement and use of illegal weapons by terrorists.
• The Information Technology Act, 2000: Invoked to tackle cyber-terrorism, online radicalization, and the use of digital platforms for terror activities.

The Push for a Uniform ATS Structure

The common ATS structure seeks to standardize capabilities and protocols, a core component of the government's 'zero-tolerance' policy against terrorism.

Objectives

• Ensures consistent procedures, training, and equipment across all state ATS units for seamless multi-state operations.
• Common structure improves communication between state and central counter-terrorism agencies, enhancing coordination.
• Better national threat assessments result from uniform data collection and analysis.
• Standard protocols enable faster, more effective joint counter-terror responses.
• This "360-Degree Strike on Organised Crime" is a comprehensive strategy to disrupt organized crime's logistical and financial support for terror groups, thus breaking the link between crime and terrorism.

Challenges 

Federal Concerns

The framework must be developed through consensus and implemented as a set of national guidelines, not a central mandate, as states may perceive a uniform structure as a violation of their constitutional authority over policing.

Resource and Skill Gaps

Many states lack funds and expertise in cyber forensics, financial intelligence, and drone countermeasures. The Centre should offer financial and technical aid for capacity building and establish national training centers of excellence.

Intelligence Sharing

Existing intelligence sharing mechanisms are often slow and fragmented; operationalizing and strengthening platforms like NATGRID is essential to provide real-time, actionable intelligence to state ATS units.

Coordination Gaps

To prevent confusion in joint operations, regular exercises, simulations, and common standardized operating procedures (SOPs) are needed for state and central agencies responding to critical incidents.

Way Forward

A standardized, networked Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) framework, grounded in cooperative federalism, is essential to strengthen internal security by boosting capacity, improving intelligence sharing, and ensuring operational uniformity while respecting state autonomy, thereby creating a more proactive response to terrorism.

Source: NEWSONAIR