A plan to install tracking chips on 1,700 people being monitored for terrorist links has been delayed as the government considers introducing the relevant legislation first.
Requesting anonymity, a senior government official said that law enforcement agencies had identified the people last year. He said their names had then been added to the Fourth Schedule. “Basic information about these suspects has been geo-tagged. The ankle-bands should have been installed by now, but the government fears that it can be challenged (in a court),” the official told.
“The ankle bands have been purchased and are ready to be installed. Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) is working on the project. The tracking chips in the ankle bands will be monitored through a central dash-board system. If those wearing them go outside the prescribed areas, the band will start beeping and the central dash board will also be alerted,” another official associated with the project said.
The Fourth Schedule defines a terror suspect as “a person who is concerned in terrorism or belongs to a proscribed organisation”. Under the law, a person whose name is placed in the schedule must seek permission from the local law enforcement authorities and inform the local police station before leaving the district where he lives.
“Many of the fourth schedulers have not been informing authorities about their movement away from the districts. These chips will enable authorities to keep track of their movements,” the official said.
