Countering extremists: Police cite social media, technology as

Indoctrination over social media and getting an upper hand in technology use are the toughest challenges for police as they take on extremist elements, according to police chiefs of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
For the past two decades, terror-related acts were classified as either state sponsored or backed by some non-state body, the segregation was easier. But with time, the contours have changed due to explosion of social media, said Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi.
Telephonic conversations and written letters as a mode of communication among extremist elements have been replaced by internet-based applications, websites and the social network fora, which have made things more complex, Bassi said.

"But if technology is helping terrorists, it is also helping security agencies," Bassi asserted.
Bangalore Police Commissioner N S Megharikh also admitted technology to be a big challenge. He cited some of the problem areas as "technological upgradation, cyber world monitoring and extracting information from the virtual platform."
When asked whether South India has shown signs of emerging as a zone of radicalisation, Megharikh said that coastal areas in Karnataka, like Bhatkal, have witnessed traditional radicalisation, where problems originating from local issues have often taken a larger shape.

However, the case has not been so easy to decipher for a place like Bangalore, which is a hub of technology, largely inhabited by qualified engineers and students, he said.

According to Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmed Javed, security agencies have intensified the focus on technology with time. "It is like a race, at times we (the police) move ahead of them and at times they (extremist elements) move ahead of us," he said.
To complement the race in technology, society must team up with police, he added.
When asked if his appointment as the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia yesterday is part of a "counter-terrorism strategy", Javed did not comment.
The three top officers were speaking at the 'Agenda Aaj Tak' event in the national capital today.