With the National Investigation Agency (NIA) being handed over the investigation of a large number of cases related to terrorism and Maoist activities, the Internal Security Investigation Team (ISIT), formerly Anti Terror Squad (ATS) is sitting almost idle.
Even though several terror-related cases having international links were reported in the state, the ISIT has had no hand in the investigation.
Recently, the Kerala High Court came down heavily on the police department for handing over each and every counterfeit case to the NIA.
The High Court had observed that even though the police in Kerala has a wing to take care of such cases, they handed them over to the NIA.
Now, apart from a few passport cases and terror-related cases, the ISIT has no major cases in their kitty. One of the major cases with the ISIT - the bomb blast at Kakkanad Collectorate - has reached nowhere and team could not even locate the people who planted the pipe bomb in 2009.
“A major problem is that police officials presume that all cases having extremist links might be hand over to NIA. In-depth investigation into these cases are not conducted. Neither do they refer the case to ISIT,” an ISIT official said
Besides, the ISIT does not have facilities like the NIA to investigate cases with international links,” the ISIT official added.
The ISIT with limited manpower is now operating more like an intelligence unit.
The ISIT units in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode are asked to monitor the activities of Maoist and terrorist groups.
These three units together do not have more than 40 persons. With the government deciding to set up a new Anti Terror Squad (KATS), which would be specialised in fighting terrorism, the Home
Department is planning to attach ISIT with it. The KATS will have units specialising in fighting terrorists and another in intelligence gathering.