BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked the DGPs of southern States and Union Territories to increase coordination to effectively tackle new challenges of cybercrime, terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and radicalisation of jail inmates.
Speaking after inaugurating the South India DGPs Coordination Conference here on Wednesday, the CM said utmost attention, collaboration and coordination is required between states and central agencies to face new challenges.
“Cybercrime is an ever-growing threat which is not only affecting individuals but also posing a serious threat to businesses, critical infrastructure and the national security. Though we (Karnataka) have set up CEN police stations in each district, we have to do a lot more in this area,” Siddaramaiah said.
Stressing the need to curb cross-border narcotics trafficking, the CM felt that the provisions of the NDPS and PIT NDPS Acts need to be invoked more effectively.
Citing the recent arrest of five terror suspects, who were radicalised in prison, Siddaramaiah said prisons house a diverse population, including individuals who may already be susceptible to extremist ideologies due to their social background, personal experiences or mental health issues.
“Exploiting the resentment, alienation and hopelessness, extremists propagate their toxic ideologies. These extremist groups actively target vulnerable individuals within the prison walls, providing them with a sense of belonging and purpose,” the CM said, stressing the need to introduce deradicalisation initiatives in prisons.
He also said that in the fight against terrorism, it is important to uphold the principles of justice, human rights and the rule of law. “Counter-terrorism efforts must not trample upon these fundamental values, as doing so can inadvertently fuel extremism and resentment,” the CM added.
Noting that left-wing extremism was still active in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Siddaramaiah said coordination is required by three states to contain the problem.