MHA Pulls Up States for Delays Hampering Quality of Post-Blast Probes | Exclusive

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in response to delays and challenges in post-blast investigations across several states, has reprimanded top state officials.

These delays have hampered investigations by the National Security Guard (NSG) and affected the quality of investigations into blast cases with national implications, a top-level government official told News18. Consequently, the MHA has mandated that all blast cases with national implications must be promptly reported to the central control room and NSG assistance requested without delay.

A top-level official said a communication has been recently sent to all states, asking for immediate action and prompt reporting to central authorities about such blasts. In some instances, states failed to inform the Centre promptly, sending requisitions days later, leading to damage to scientific evidence and the failure to collect forensic samples.

The official emphasised the importance of adhering to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Post-Blast Investigation (PBI) of Bombs and IED Blasts. They highlighted the necessity of immediately communicating blast information to NSG and the MHA Control Room to facilitate investigation by the NSG National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC).

Further, the official added that the NSG team’s investigation and analysis are essential for understanding bomb or IED mechanisms and technologies to implement countermeasures and preventions effectively. Hence, timely investigation of bomb blasts nationwide and sharing PBI reports with agencies concerned is crucial.

The official also pointed out the consequences of non-requisition or delayed requisition for PBI by NSG, resulting in inadequate IED study and loss of crucial investigation time. To address these issues, all states/UTs are now required to promptly send requisitions to NSG and inform the central control room for post-blast investigations of all bomb blasts with national security implications.

Furthermore, it has been proposed that cases with national implications will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to streamline investigations and ensure national security interests are effectively addressed.