The Union Home Ministry is mulling over a proposal to legally define the term radicalisation so as to bring it under the ambit of anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to effectively clamp down on groups involved in radicalisation of the gullible youth for terror agenda.
The Ministry and the Intelligence Bureau are also exploring the possibility of setting up of a think tank on counter-radicalisation, the outcome of which can be implemented by the State police.
Such a think tank will look at the madrasas and mainstream educational system while also looking at international and online domains for radicalisation factors and will also identify sensitive areas and target groups and evolve best practices.
A three-pronged policy of de-radicalisation mechanism involving the families and communities of the affected youth, 'non-official' counter propaganda and strengthening the moderate versions of Islam is also being worked out as part of an integrated approach to deal with the challenge.
A policy manual for training policemen in counter-radicalisation measures is also on the cards besides fine-tuning police procedures in order to prevent radicalisation of families and communities during the pursuance of terror-related cases. The Home Ministry is also examining a proposal to grant legal authority to police to bring marginally radicalised youth on the verge of committing a crime to the mainstream by being generous to them during the course of detention or interrogation.
The Government is also seeking to create a mechanism for identification of vulnerable targets during counter-terrorism efforts. Counter-terrorism measures will include policy formulation to strengthen liaison with moderate clerics/centres and communities by involving credible interlocutors for counter-radicalisation measures.
The Counter-Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation Division of the Union Home Ministry and the Intelligence Bureau are simultaneously working on developing a comprehensive counter-radicalisation mechanism for implementation by the police forces.
The Centre has already directed the police chiefs of the States and the Union Territories to check whether clerics visiting jails are belonging to fundamentalist ideologies and whether radicalised individuals are co-habited with normal prisoners and to take counter measures if required.
The directives come amid inputs that average criminals are often radicalised by the hardcore terrorists when they mix up with each other in the jails. Radicalisation is a process by which an individual or group being dissatisfied with the current scenario, adopts an increasingly extreme political, social or religious ideology to change things according to the belief of the individual or the group.
If unchecked, radicalisation could lead to extremist discourse in society, recruitment of such individuals by terror groups and aggravate communal violence, a senior Union Home Ministry official said.