Counter-terrorism centre set to lose powers to search, seize and arrest 
PranabDhalSamanta
In a move to assuage states opposed to the creation of a National Counter Terrorism Centre, the government is all set to drop the contentious provision of search, seizure and arrest from its current proposal.
It is learnt that a revised cabinet note is being prepared for the Cabinet Committee on Security which is expected to take a call next week. After that, a conference of CMs is likely to be called early next month, during Parliament’s recess, to attempt a fresh consensus.
As a result, the NCTC, sources said, will confine itself to collation of intelligence, analysing information and joining the dots at a larger level, but solely from the perspective of terrorism. The government’s expectation is that this may help obtain consent of states like West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, among others.
But going by this truncated version, sources said the NCTC can work well within the Intelligence Bureau. Some of the states had objected to a body with powers of search, seizure and arrest being placed under the IB in the original proposal. If these powers are taken away, then there is a case being made out to let it stay in the IB for easier collaboration with other agencies.
While a call on this issue is yet to be taken, it is quite clear that North Block is willing to prune the role of NCTC — a step that may lead to some debate within the CCS.
Last year too, the government had sought to climb down after vociferous objections from the states to the original notification by making alterations in its standard operation procedures for the NCTC. It was clarified that the NCTC will use these powers of search seizure and arrest only when “immediate action is required”. But in exercising these powers, it was envisaged that NCTC may not inform relevant state authorities.
The Centre tried to make the broad point that this provision will be used sparingly and in all normal circumstances, the NCTC will function through state anti-terror cells and squads. This explanation, however, failed to make any headway as states still saw it as significant infringement and finally the proposal went into deep freeze after Sushil Kumar Shinde took over as home minister.
But the recent Hyderabad blasts and a letter from former home minister P Chidambaram to the Prime Minister, urging him to revive the NCTC, provided some fresh impetus. He has argued that NCTC and NATGRID are critical to the fight against terror and should not be put on the backburner