If the NIA took the lead in the investigation of all cases of terror strikes, they would be able to build up a strong database which will help avert future attacks, says Vicky Nanjappa

The serial blasts in Pune were yet another reminder of how vulnerable our security set-up is despite bluster by the authorities.

The standard operating procedure in the aftermath of such a terror strike continues to be mired in confusion due to multiple probe agencies fighting for their share of the pie.

After the Pune blasts, both the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Pune police jumped in the fray.

The role played by the National Investigation Agency remains unclear in the wake of such incidents. The NIA, a premier orgnisation meant to probe terror attacks, often ends up playing second fiddle.

After the 13/7 blasts struck Mumbai last year, the Union home ministry had set a fixed set of guidelines or a standard operating procedure for the NIA. Top officials of the home ministry, the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing had decided that the NIA would lead the probe in case of a terror strike. The local police was merely meant to help it out.

After the local police informed the NIA about a terror strike, agency officials would visit the site and take the lead in the investigation. Intelligence inputs from both central and state wings are also supposed to be shared with the NIA. 

But the reality is that due to lack of coordination, the NIA finds it difficult to connect the dots. In the investigations of various terror strikes -- Pune blasts, Delhi high court blasts, 13/7 -- the NIA has been the last agency to arrive on the field and has been privy to only second-hand information

"Most of the information is with the local police. Due to ego clashes, only half-baked information reaches us. We are roped in very late and at any blast scene, we find a parallel investigation taking place," said a NIA official.

None of the state governments have bothered setting up an internal security wing, which was supposed to act as a liaison between the local police and the NIA. The local police was supposed to share probe updates and intelligence inputs with the internal security wing.

While the Intelligence Bureau oversees the sharing of inputs between various agencies, the NIA has to be kept in the loop about all these alerts. But NIA officials complain that the alerts often only reach the state police, who don't share the information.

"Our job is not only to investigate into the matter, but we need to be aware of every possible movement," said the NIA official.

The standard operating procedure, in spite of being in place, is not being followed.

According to sources, the local police need to understand that terrorism is not a local subject. The 13/7 blasts in Mumbai were carried out by a module from Bihar. With terror networks operating across India, a central agency needs to handle such probes as the local police is bound to face jurisdictional problems.

Since most terror strikes are inter-linked, a common agency following up on the available leads will be able to connect the dots faster. If the NIA took the lead in the investigation of all cases of terror strikes, they would be able to build up a strong database which will help avert future attack.

Officials in the IB and the NIA believe that the Internal Security Wing needs to operate properly to chalk out a middle path that is not affected by ego clashes.