NIA will have branches in every state by May 2024 and the government has taken several steps in the past three years to make it an almost federal crime investigation agency, Shah said at the inauguration of an NIA office in Atal Nagar, Nava Raipur, on Saturday.
“Left-wing extremism has shrunk from 120 districts to only 46 in the country, including a few in Chhattisgarh. The government has vowed to uproot it. I’m sure the central and state governments together will completely eliminate the problem,” he said.
“The Modi government has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, left-wing extremism and related crimes, like fake currency and narcotics. Hence, the Centre has left no stone unturned to strengthen NIA, anti-terror probe agencies and anti-terror laws as well. I am glad that in the cases taken up by NIA, the conviction rate has shot up from 75% in 2014 to 94% now,” Shah said.
NIA has succeeded in getting to the roots of terror and crime, even if it was planned and conspired outside the country and the incident took place here, Shah said, adding that in the past few years NIA has spread its branches to 18 states and strengthened its approach. “Our government shares terrorism-related data with state governments, irrespective of the parties governing that state,” he said.
“NIA took strict action against terror-funding agencies in Kashmir from 2018-2020, resulting in the registration of 105 cases and arrest of 876 people. Chargesheets have been filed in 94 cases. The agencies in Kashmir have successfully checked terror activities there and NIA has established itself as an anti-terrorism institution,” Shah said.
“Besides, NIA has been given the right to probe human trafficking, banned explosives and cybercrime,” Shah said. “This NIA building in Raipur is an example of NIA’s increasing influence and dominance as it’s not been too long since the agency was conceived. NIA has left a benchmark by quickly emerging as a prime anti-terror probe agency,” Shah added.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, who shared the dais with Shah, said, “Chhattisgarh inherited the problem of LWE since its foundation. But we have managed to push Maoists back to a great extent”.