New Delhi: The home ministry has had a busy schedule ever since Modi-led government was voted back to power. The last 100 days have seen home minister Amit Shah taking some key decisions ranging from revocation of parts of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir to implementation of the National Register of Citizens in Assam to amendments in key anti-terror laws.
The most significant decision that the Modi government has taken in the last 100 days has been revocation of Article 370 in J&K and dividing the state into two separate Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh. While the J&K UT will have an Assembly, Ladakh would be governed directly by the Centre through an administrator.
The decision regarding J&K has seen unprecedented restrictions being imposed in the state, particularly with the entire Valley being in lockdown since Aug 5 when the decision was announced. Important political leaders, including three former chief ministers have been detained, phone lines, including mobile and internet services, remain suspended and there has been a massive mobilisation of security forces in the region.
Though no large-scale violence has been reported from the Valley but this is largely on account of the restrictions being imposed which includes imposition of Section 144 which prevents large gathering of public in a particular area. But a determined Modi government went ahead with the decision and is in no hurry to ease restrictions mainly in the Valley though normalcy has been restored in the Jammu and Ladakh regions.
Home ministry officials claim that restrictions in the Valley would be eased only after assessing the ground situation and this could take “considerable time.’’
The centre has also ensured implementation of the NRC exercise in Assam, which is largely aimed at identifying illegal migrants in the state. The final list of the NRC, which is being monitored by the Supreme Court, was published on Aug 31. More than 19 lakh residents of Assam have been left out of the final NRC list while 3.11 crore were included in the list.
The home ministry, working in close co-ordination with the state government, has already increased the time for filing of appeals before the Foreigners Tribunal from 60 to 120 days. The ministry has already clarified that a person cannot be labelled as a foreigner and no action would be initiated if his name is left out of the NRC. The final decision on this has to be taken by such tribunals set up in different parts of the state.
The issue of illegal migrants is a major political issue for the BJP as some other states where the part is in power is demanding an NRC in their states also.
Two other key decisions taken by the home ministry in the last 100 days related to important amendments in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the National Investigation Agency Act.
The UAPA amendment allows the security agencies to describe even individuals as terrorists against only terror outfits. This saw the home ministry on Wednesday putting underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, chiefs of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taeeba respectively, in the list of terrorists. Even a key Lashkar commander and mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi has also been described as a terrorist.
With change in the NIA Act, the anti-terror agency has now been authorised the agency to investigate incidents of terror on Indians and Indian assets in foreign nations. The NIA has also been given powers now to investigate cases of child-trafficking and organised crime.
Earlier NIA, which came into existence following the Mumbai terror attack, was earlier mandated to probe anti-terror cases.
