NIA has over 93% conviction rate, highest among all probe agencies: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has the highest conviction rate of 93.25 per cent among all probe agencies in the country.

Speaking at the 13th NIA Raising Day, Shah added that in a short span of 13 years, the Agency has registered more than 400 cases, filed charge sheets in 349 cases, arrested 2,494 accused, as well as convicted 391 accused.

The Union Home Minister said the NIA must further strive for 100 per cent conviction rate and recognition as a world-class probe agency.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a terror-free India, he added that in recent years, the NIA and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has been strengthened after amendments by Parliament.

"Earlier, the NIA had the right to declare any terror outfit as terrorist organisation but now any individual can also be declared as terrorist and so far 36 ultras of different terror outfits have been declared individual terrorist under the amended UAPA," the Home Minister said, adding that now the NIA has been authorised to probe terror cases related to endangering the interests of the country or Indian nationals abroad as well.

Shah said putting an end to terrorism is necessary for keeping human rights intact.

Referring to investigations conducted by the NIA in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said the Central probe agency has destroyed the terror funding channels of terrorists in the union territory.

For the first time in 2018-19 the NIA acted on dismantling the terror funding channels in the union territory and choked all pipelines that used to feed the terrorists there, he added.

"Now it is almost impossible to send terror funding in the union territory, for this all credit goes to NIA," Shah said.

He added that the NIA has registered many cases against overground workers and sleeper cells of terror outfits during 2021-22 and dismantled the supply of weapons and logistics.

A total of 105 cases have been registered by the NIA in left wing extremism regions in which 876 people have been named and 796 have been arrested while in 94 cases, charge sheets have been filed and 100 accused have convicted so far, the Home Minister said.

He added that the police and probe agencies must adopt new investigation techniques based on data and digital evidences and information.

"We need to create database and with the help of digital forensic. Recently, the NIA has been assigned to create a national database on narcotics, fake currencies, terror funding, bomb explosion, and terrorism and the agency has been executing this well.

"Once this national database is created, this will be shared by all the probe agencies, including state police and the data of the states will also be shared by these national agencies which will help in faster investigation which will eventually lead to higher rate of convictions," the Home Minister said, adding that if the data is stacked separately it is trash.

--IANS

ams/khz/ksk/