Bill to give NIA more teeth introduced in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: A bill which seeks to allow an individual suspected to have terror links to be designated as a 'terrorist' was introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday even as the opposition said the provision could prove to be draconian.

Opposing the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, N K Premchandran (RSP) claimed that in the name of tackling terror, the fundamental rights of an individual cannot be foregone.

Shashi Tharoor (Cong) described the amendment bill as "hastily brought". He said there were several provisions in laws in place to go after individuals.

Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, who introduced the bill on behalf of Home Minister Amit Shah, said when the United Nations can name Jamaat-ud_Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed as a terrorist, why can't India do the same with such people.

Asserting that the government believes in "zero tolerance" towards terrorism, the minister said a provision is needed to designate "individual terrorist" in the law.

Taking a dig at the opposition, Home Minister Shah said perhaps the opposition would like to withdraw objections as these would not look good in records of Lok Sabha.

The bill, once passed, would give more teeth to the NIA in dealing with terror cases, government sources have maintained.