India’s Evolving Counterterror Response Since 26/11 Attacks

• 28 Nov 2025

For Prelims: National Security Guard (NSG), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), Territorial Waters, CERT-In.    

For Mains: Key Changes Made to India's Counter-terrorism Infrastructure Post 26/11 Attack, Limitations Continue to Impede India’s Counter-terrorism Capabilities and Measures can be Taken to Strengthen Counter Terrorism Efforts. 

Source: TH

Why in News? 

The President honoured the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the 26/11 attack and urged everyone to renew their commitment to fight terrorism in all forms. 

• On 26^th November 2008, 10 armed terrorists linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) carried out coordinated strikes in Mumbai, leading to the tragic loss of 166 lives, including 18 security personnel, over a 60-hour ordeal.

What Major Reforms were Introduced in India’s Counter-terrorism Framework Following the 26/11 Attacks?

• Legal Reforms: The enacted National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008 that established the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as a federal body to investigate terror cases, overcoming inter-state coordination issues. 
  • The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) was amended to broaden the definition of a terrorist act.  
• Bolstering Intelligence: The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), established in 2010, serves as a key counter-terrorism initiative by creating a secure, integrated database that enables security agencies to share information and track suspects using data from multiple government sources.  
  • It further strengthened the national intelligence architecture by enhancing the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) to enable real-time information coordination.   
• Coastal Security Reinforcement: India implemented a multi-layered defense system, with the Indian Navy responsible for overall maritime security and the Indian Coast Guard managing territorial waters and coordinating with marine police stations.  
  • A Coastal Surveillance Network of radar sensors was also installed along the coastline to monitor vessel movement in real-time. 
• Modernization of Police and Special Forces: To ensure a faster response, many states created their own Special Forces, such as Force One in Maharashtra, while the NSG was decentralized with four regional hubs in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata for rapid, pan-India deployment. 
• Soft Target Protection: Security for major soft targets like hotels and airports was drastically upgraded with enhanced protocols, CCTV cameras, and access control. 
  • Simultaneously, India’s cyber security was strengthened by empowering CERT-In to counter digital threats.

Which Key Limitations Continue to Impede India’s Counter-terrorism Capabilities?

• Lack of a National Counter-Terrorism Doctrine: India still lacks a unified, long-term counter-terrorism doctrine, resulting in a predominantly reactive approach that intensifies only after major attacks.  
  • Without a clear strategic framework, policies tend to vary with political leadership, preventing a consistent and bipartisan national security approach. 
• Fragmented Intelligence Apparatus: A critical weakness is the persistent stove-piping of intelligence, where agencies like the IB, R&AW, and state police lack seamless integration, hindering the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC).  
  • The November 2025 Red Fort car blast exposed serious coordination gaps as earlier seizures of explosives by neighbouring states were not properly linked or shared.  
  • Critics argue that poor information integration at the MAC prevented timely action by the Delhi Police. 
• Legal and Judicial Lacunas: India's judicial process for terror cases remains hampered by weak prosecution, where shoddy investigation and witness intimidation often cause cases to collapse despite strong initial evidence. 
  • For instance, in July 2025, a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, noting that the prosecution failed to prove the charges, giving the accused the benefit of doubt. 
• Technological Lacunas: Security agencies lack effective counter-narrative strategies against extremist propaganda and have uneven cyber forensics capabilities to track sophisticated online terror activities. 
  • Terror groups now use dead-drop methods (saving drafts in shared email accounts without sending them) and peer-to-peer crypto transfers to evade traditional surveillance, while intelligence agencies struggle with a shortage of cyber-intelligence analysts and linguistic experts needed to decode such encrypted communications. 
• Manpower & Capacity Crises: As of July 2025, the NIA faced a 28% staff shortage with 541 vacancies, leaving key operational posts, especially Inspectors and DSPs, undermanned and forcing reliance on deputation instead of a specialized cadre.  
  • State Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) units also remain under-equipped, lacking dedicated firing ranges, modern night-vision gear, and forensic labs, as repeatedly noted by CAG audits. 

What Measures can be Taken to Strengthen Counter-terrorism Efforts? 

• Deepen Tech Integration with MAC: Integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) with the MAC data feeds.  
  • This can analyze vast amounts of intercepted data (chats, financial transactions, travel records) to identify patterns, predict potential attacks, and flag suspicious networks far more efficiently than human analysts alone. 
• Strengthen Police at the Last Mile: Since state police are the first responders, strengthening their capacity requires continuous funding for modern equipment, specialized counter-terrorism training, and seamless MAC/SMAC intel-sharing systems to ensure timely, actionable responses. 
• Strengthen Legal Provisions: Strengthening counter-terror justice requires fast-track courts to expedite trials that act as a deterrent, alongside regular review and amendment of laws like UAPA to address modern threats while ensuring safeguards. 
• Cripple Terror Financing: Strengthen the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to monitor hawala transactions, cryptocurrency payments, and shell companies funding terrorism, while enhancing international cooperation with FATF to target safe havens. 
• International Cooperation: Deepen intelligence sharing by enabling real-time, actionable exchanges with key partners like USA, Israel, France, and Gulf countries to disrupt plots from abroad. 
  • Apply diplomatic pressure through multilateral forums (UN, G20, BRICS, SCO) to isolate state-sponsors of terrorism, supported by initiatives like the "No Money for Terror" conferences.

Conclusion 

Future counter-terrorism strategies in India must build on post-26/11 reforms by addressing fragmented intelligence, judicial gaps, cyber threats, and manpower shortages. Emphasizing a unified doctrine, advanced technology integration, and stronger international cooperation will create a proactive, resilient, and coordinated counter-terrorism architecture.

Drishti Mains Question:

Q. Examine the key changes made to India's coastal security architecture post-26/11. To what extent have they addressed the vulnerabilities exposed during the attacks?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Q. Which major institutional reforms were implemented after 26/11? 
Key reforms included creation/strengthening of the NIA, expansion of coastal surveillance networks, strengthening of the Multi-Agency Centre, NATGRID development, NSG hub decentralisation and state-level special forces (e.g., Force One). 

Q. How does the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) strengthen counter-terrorism? 
NATGRID creates an integrated database for security agencies to share information and track suspects using data from various government sources, enhancing intelligence coordination. 

Q. What persistent lacunae continue to hinder India’s counter-terrorism capacity? 
Persistent issues include intelligence stove-piping, uneven state police capabilities, technological shortfalls in cyber and surveillance, judicial/prosecution weaknesses, and gaps in doctrine and rehabilitation programs. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)  

Mains

Q. The scourge of terrorism is a grave challenge to national security. What solutions do you suggest to curb this growing menace? What are the major sources of terrorist funding? (2017) 

Q. Religious indoctrination via digital media has resulted in Indian youth joining ISIS. What is ISIS and its mission? How can ISIS be dangerous to the internal security of our country? (2015) 

Q. Cyber warfare is considered by some defence analysts to be a larger threat than even Al Qaeda or terrorism. What do you understand by Cyber warfare? Outline the cyber threats which India is vulnerable to and bring out the state of the country’s preparedness to deal with the same. (2013)