E-Paper
NIA officers take training in Urdu, Arabic to counter terror groups
NIA officials are taking language classes in Urdu, Arabic and Persian to to counter the growing influence of terrorist organisations like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.
The officers of National Investigating Agency (NIA) are learning Urdu, Arabic and Persian languages to counter the growing influence of terrorist organisations like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in the eastern region.
The necessity to have the basic knowledge of Arabic, Urdu and Persian was first realised after the Khagragh blast incident in West Bengal’s Birbhum district in 2014. The NIA, which was handed over the responsibility to investigate the incident, faced problems when they stumbled upon large amount of literature in Persian, Urdu and Arabic language.
“We had to look for experts to understand what was written on these materials. It was then realised that the officers need to have at least an elementary knowledge about these languages,” a senior NIA official who was part of Khagarh blast investigation told PTI.
“Our officers and investigators know English, Hindi and their own mother tongue. But the knowledge of an extra language would give us an edge in our counter-terrorism measures,” an NIA official said.
Then NIA SP posted in Kolkata, Vikram Khalate, wrote to Calcutta University requesting them to make arrangements for language training classes as the agency at times was finding it difficult to find translators.
“From the month of May this year their language training has started,” a Calcutta University official confirmed the report.
