Security agencies should focus on emerging security challenges along eastern border: Shah

Bhubaneswar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said security agencies should focus on emerging security challenges along the eastern border, immigration and trends in urban policing.

Inaugurating the annual DGPs/IGPs conference here, which will discuss a host of emerging national security challenges, including counter-terrorism and left-wing extremism, Shah also congratulated the police leadership for the smooth conduct of the 2024 general elections and the seamless rollout of the three new criminal laws.

The focus should be on emerging security challenges along the eastern border, immigration and trends in urban policing, Shah was quoted as saying in an official release.

The home minister’s statement bears significance as India’s eastern neighbour Bangladesh has seen unrest following the ouster of its then prime minister Sheikh Hasina and an interim administration taking charge in August.

There have been reports of attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, an issue New Delhi has raised strongly with Dhaka.

Shah expressed satisfaction at the significant achievements leading to improvement in the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeast and states affected by left-wing extremism.

The home minister said the three new criminal laws have transformed the ethos of the country’s criminal justice system from punishment-oriented to justice-oriented. He emphasised that the spirit of the new laws is rooted in Indian tradition.

Shah also called for taking the initiative towards a zero-tolerance strategy against terrorism.

“Under the leadership of PM Modi, Bharat is building its police force as an apparatus capable of both securing the nation against new-age challenges and addressing the root causes of crime and terrorism.

“The DGPs/IGPs conference serves as a knowledge-sharing platform to fortify policing in every state through collaboration,” he said.

The 59th three-day DGPs/IGPs conference will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and provide a platform for

senior police officers to freely discuss and debate diverse national security-related issues besides various operational, infrastructural and welfare-related problems faced by the police.