Delhi top cop hints at more detentions under NSA

More detentions are likely to take place in the near future under the National Security Act in north and outer districts of the national capital. The directions to this effect have been issued by none other than police commissioner Alok Kumar Verma, who at a recent high-level meeting, instructed the deputy commissioners of police of north and outer districts to make more efforts for identifying the cases which are fit to be booked under the NSA.

The NSA of 1980 empowers the Central and state governments to detain a person to prevent him or her from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of India, the relation of India with foreign countries, the maintenance of public order, or the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community if it is so necessary. The act also gives powers to the governments to detain a foreigner in a view to regulate his presence or to expel from the country. The act extends to the whole of India, except the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The maximum period of detention under the act is 12 months.

The police chief does not want his personnel only to make efforts to book under the NSA. He has also directed the DCP northwest district to take some action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The concerned DCP apprised the top cop that his men have already identified two cases and his team was working on them. The MCOCA was enacted by Maharashtra state in India in 1999 to combat organised crime and terrorism. The preamble to MCOCA says that “the existing legal framework i.e. the penal and procedural laws and the adjudicatory system are found to be rather inadequate to curb or control the menace of organised crime”. They decided to enact a special law with stringent and deterrent provisions including, in certain circumstances, the power to intercept wire, electronic or oral communication to control the menace of organised crime.

The police chief also expressed his unhappiness over the number of criminals being arrested and about the absent “bad characters” in the city. During the meeting, the officers informed that most of the criminals were already in jail. The police chief directed all district DCPs to keep track of all such criminals. He also issued directions to prepare separate columns about the criminals who were in jail and the ones who were wanted by the force. He also directed all the district DCPs, especially the ones heading east, north-east and outer Delhi, to make systematic plans for intelligence gathering about the absent “bad characters” and make concerted efforts to arrest them.