Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised that a Permanent Station House of the National Investigation Agency will soon be set up in Bengaluru, said Bengaluru South Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya. Addressing reporters on Sunday, Surya who was on Saturday nominated National President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJP’s youth wing) said that the prompt action by Shah came in the wake of alleged increase in terror-related activities in Bengaluru and Karnataka in the last few years.
Surya had met the Home Minister at the latter’s residence last week and stressed on the need to establish a Branch office of the NIA in Bengaluru on the lines of those currently in Hyderabad and Kochi.
“It is a matter of grave concern that NIA investigations into the DJ Halli and KG Halli mob violence in August have indicated that many terrorist organisations are using Bengaluru as their incubation centre for carrying out anti-India activities,” Surya said in a statement.
“That being the case, it’s also important to power the investigating agency, the NIA, with adequate infrastructure and personnel to conduct their probe into terror-related activities in Karnataka. There are reports that the NIA does not have sufficient infrastructure and human resources for conducting investigations. NIA is currently operating with skeletal staff and that too from Hyderabad with only a camp office in Bengaluru,” he added.
Surya said it’s important to keep Bengaluru free from terror activities and a well-equipped and sufficiently staffed NIA office would help mitigate such activities.
“Bengaluru being the financial nerve centre of south India, it is vital to keep the city safe from all terrorist and anti-India organisations and their activities. An NIA investigation in March 2020 revealed that four terror-accused in Bengaluru helped ISIS member Khaja Mohideen procure weapons and material for establishing a base in the forests of South India, for waging violent jihad in India. My request for a regional branch office of the NIA is made in this background,” Tejasvi said.
Home Minister Shah has assured Surya that he would direct officials to establish a Permanent Station House manned by an office of the rank of the SP at the earliest, the MP said.