‘Police forces should be knowledge bodies’

He cited the common purchaser of the mobile phones used in the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad and the Ajmer blasts as an example of the level of information on the interconnectivity between terrorists in different parts of the country.

Singh referred to a terror operative, Samiullah, who travelled between Chennai and New Delhi, ahead of a plot to carry out attacks in Delhi, as another instance of the need for knowledge databases on terrorism. Investigations in the Samiullah case have shown the possibility of ISI-trained modules in Sri Lanka trying to cross over to India.

“Often when a police officer with information about terrorism retires or moves on, crucial information they may be carrying in their mind is not available to their successors. This is where the police have to adopt knowledge organisation strategies seen in the corporate world,” he said.

The JCP said cops needed to take care while providing details of investigations in terrorism cases since terrorists were changing their tactics on the basis of information put in the public domain by investigators. “They don’t carry mobile phones anymore to the scene of crime — they use it only for bombs,” he said, adding police should also develop technologies to be in a position to intercept conversations using the Voice Over Internet Protocol.

Singh also advocated a new law for tackling terrorism. “It cannot be handled within the existing framework of law,” he added.

Supreme Court lawyer K T S Tulsi who also spoke at the seminar made a case for a permanent legislation for terrorism and called for an end to politics being played around it.