Chidambaram assures to explore re-location of NCTC outside IB

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With states stoutly opposed to NCTC in its current form, Home Minister P. Chidambaram has assured that the matter of re-location of the anti-terror body outside the Intelligence Bureau (IB) would be re-examined.

In his concluding remarks at the Chief Ministers conference, which were released here officially on Sunday, the Home Minister sought to clarify on the decision of placing the NCTC within the IB.

"...I may recall, when I stood at this very podium in December 2009, I did not propose that the NCTC should be located in the IB. In fact, the new security architecture was certainly more ambitious but did not propose that it should be located in the IB".

He said that finally a decision was taken to locate it in the IB, because the GoM, which made its recommendations in 2001, named the IB as India's nodal counter-terrorism agency.

"A number of speakers who pointed out that we must have a NCTC, asked why should it be located in the IB? Certainly this matter deserves re-examination and we will certainly re-examine it," the Home Minister said.

Chidambaram said that he had come to the meeting with an open mind for the discussion on NCTC, which he termed as extremely important in order to face the threat of terrorism to the country.

"I came to this meeting with an open mind and I continue to keep an open mind and I assure you that all your suggestions will be carefully considered before a decision is taken by the Government. "Ultimately, however, the Government would have to take a decision. Taking no decision on a matter of such urgency does not advance the objectives for which we have met," he said in his remarks.