A fresh batch of 45 ‘decoders’ — or specially-trained intelligence analysts — will be inducted into Maharashtra’s Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) intelligence wing shortly. And sources said they will be put through “de-learning” sessions to help them end their prejudices. This is in tune with what Union home secretary GK Pillai said on Wednesday about “thinking the unthinkable” in fighting terror.
A senior ATS official said: “It is natural for the human mind to classify and draw patterns.
For instance, nobody suspected David Coleman Headley was involved in the terror attacks because of his name, attire, personality and profession.” Headley, a Pakistani-American, has been accused of conducting recce missions for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
“The team will be trained to see behind the obvious. The human face of terror has undergone a definite shift,” the official added. The officers will undergo extensive training to “sniff out” sensitive, coded information while monitoring conversations under urveillance. They will also be trained to analyse intelligence reports issued by a host of agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Research & Analysis Wing and the state intelligence department. The team, including an officer of the rank of a deputy commissioner of police and three assistant commissioners of police, will start functioning within a fortnight. “After the terror attacks, a grave need was felt to improve the intelligence wing and give it some teeth,” KP Raghuvanshi, additional director general, Maharashtra ATS, said.
Apart from “unlearning” (or detoxification) sessions, the ATS is preparing a dossier on code words and their meanings. “Headley used the words ‘business is good’ to pass on messages to his trainers about the progress of his terror plot recce. This is what we are trying to crack,” said the officer.
The team will help the anti-terror agency generate intelligence reports. Currently, almost every intelligence terror alert is generic. This year, the Mumbai police received 576 “Mumbai specific” terror alerts. “Once the alert is specific, we can take action accordingly,” the official added.
