Govt plans new NCTC push at CMs' meet

The government will make a renewed push to the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by building political consensus at the chief ministers' conference on April 15.

The government will make a renewed push to the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by building political consensus at the chief ministers' conference on April 15.

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As reported by Hindustan Times in February, the Centre hopes to get all chief ministers on board on the anti-terror body by sharing the power to arrest suspects with the state police forces.

The move to establish the NCTC has been opposed by several non-Congress chief ministers, including Gujarat's Narendra Modi, West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu's J Jayalalitha over its search and arrest powers.

The NCTC - the cornerstone of India's new anti-terror architecture proposed after the 26/11 attacks - has so far been in a limbo, as several states and the BJP oppose it, citing that its power to make arrests impinges on the states' powers.

"We will try to allay the apprehensions of the chief ministers and get their nod for setting up the anti-terror body, which is crucial for the country's internal security," home ministry sources said.