Mumbai, December 5
The Centre has a proposal to set up a national-level agency on the lines of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US to tackle terror, union home minister P. Chidambaram said today admitting to failure of intelligence and security systems that had led to Mumbai terror strike.
Plans in this regard would be announced in Parliament in a few days, he told a press conference after a visit to various places targeted by the terrorists last week.
Chidambaram, who was shifted to home from finance ministry in the wake of the terror attacks, had yesterday met the leader of the opposition L.K. Advani with the proposal on setting up of an FBI like federal agency and is believed to have secured the support of the main opposition party.
“I agree that there has been a failure on the part of the security forces, but this attack will help the government be more determined in combating terrorism,” said the minister in a public admission by any top figure from the government to do so.
“Undoubtedly there had been some lapses. I will be less than truthful if I say there were no lapses. There have been some lapses. They are being looked into,” he said adding he would do his utmost to bring improvements in the system.
“I will strain every nerve to overcome the causes of these lapses and try to improve the effectiveness of the security system of the country and in the process we will help the state governments also improve the security system,” the minister said.
On the involvement of Pakistan’s ISI in the attacks, the home minister said: “There is ample evidence to link the attack to organisations or entities which have been responsible for terror attacks in the past. At this stage, it would not be correct to name any organisation but you can draw conclusions.”
Chidambaram said the government was determined to take investigations into the attacks to logical conclusion and punish the guilty. “The investigation into the attack has been entrusted to Mumbai crime branch and a full and clear picture will emerge in their report that will be submitted before the court,” Chidambaram said.
“A lot of work is under progress and evidence has been gathered and various aspects would be checked after which full picture will be drawn,” he added.
The minister said other efforts and steps that the central government would take could not be disclosed
here and they were addressing many of these issues with utmost seriousness.
Maintaining that he had not taken any decisions since he took over on Monday, he said he took note of the anguish and legitimate complains about the lapses that led to the Mumbai attacks and the government would address them.
“There is speculation and I have read reports linking the terror attacks to Dawood Ibrahim and have taken note of it but cannot comment on it,” he said in reply to questions.
This terror attack will trigger a change in the attitude of both the central and state governments towards terror and combating terrorism, Chidambaram said and added that the government will go into the causes of security lapses.
“The need of the hour is a fundamental change and a change in our attitude towards law. The country also needs a heightened sense of alertness,” he said.
“Terrorists chose Mumbai, famously known as the city of dreams to make maximum impact across the world. The attack is not only on the city but is a challenge to the soul of the country,” he said.
“The Maharashtra government has announced compensation packages for the kin of the deceased and injured persons in the terror attack and I have requested the home secretary to implement those packages before December 31,” Chidambaram said.
He further said he had asked the insurance companies to expedite the insurance claims of the kin of deceased and the injured persons promptly.
“I would request Mumbaikars to summon once again the spirit of Mumbai so that it rises as the premium city of the country,” the home minister said, adding that Mumbaikars have set an example in how to confront challenges on previous terror attacks.
— PTI
