High-level meeting held to discuss IS threat

Union home secretary LC Goyal chaired a high-level meeting of director generals of police and home secretaries of states that are seen as vulnerable catchment areas for terrorist organisations like Islamic State in an attempt to sensitise state governments and chalk out plans to tackle the threat.

It was decided in the meeting to expand the Maharashtra and Telangana models already in place for dealing with IS-related cases, to other states. The two states' model includes monitoring of social media, community outreach through religious leaders and eminent people of the society to counter the radicalization of youth. Efforts would also be made to gain the confidence of the Muslim community, said sources.

The meeting was held to streamline the institutional mechanisms for sharing information and to adequately meet the threats from terrorism. It was decided to strengthen the capacity building of the police officers in States through training programmes, to be organized by central intelligence and security agencies.

Instances of radicalisation of youth in some states were also discussed including counseling of such youth and their families. Appropriate measures on counter radicalisation were also discussed.

25 Indian youth have so far fallen prey to the IS fold raising alarm bells in the country's security establishment. Saturday's meeting that had been scheduled earlier factored the large assemblage at Yakub memon's funeral in Mumbai on Thursday, sources said.