Terror Probes Impacted As NIA Manpower Is Down By 28%

But now, this premier body is facing a staff crunch, reportedly by over 25 per cent. That too, at a time the national conscience was shaken when Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 tourists in Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. Once again, the investigation was handed over to the NIA.

So far, the agency has been investigating a total of 677 major and minor terror cases, which it has registered as of June 30, according to data shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The data also revealed that the anti-terror federal probe agency has been working with 28.45 per cent lower staff strength against the sanctioned posts. 

Besides junior-level vacancies, the one post each of Additional Director General (ADG), Inspector General (IG), and Deputy Inspector General (DIG). Also, seven posts of Superintendent of Police (SP) are lying vacant against a sanctioned strength of 14.

Vacancies All Over Police & Paramilitaries

Overall, the MHA data on NIA’s vacancy status revealed that as of June 30, the agency had 1,901 sanctioned posts, of which 541 were unfilled, which exposes critical shortfalls across both field and technical positions, with significant gaps in posts like inspectors (77 vacant), sub-inspectors (93 vacant), assistant sub-inspectors (54 vacant), and constables (37 vacant). 

Other than the police officers’ vacancies, a number of posts relating to specialist roles in investigation, like in cyber forensics, ballistics, and scientific analysis, also remain unfilled. This also raises major concerns over the agency’s capacity to deal with increasingly complex crimes reported to it.

However, a senior official said, despite the short-staffing, the anti-terror probe agency has made good strides in prosecution, as it secured convictions in 78 cases, which went for trial in courts, since 2022, maintaining a conviction rate of 97.43 percent, one of the highest among investigative bodies in India. 

The official said that though the agency’s performance is outstanding under pressure, prolonged understaffing could impair future investigations. “Even when the conviction rate is exceptional, it’s not sustainable in the long term with such vacancies," he said, noting that long hours and staff shortages could lead to investigative lapses.

Central Pool Shortfall Affecting CBI & IB Too

Meanwhile, another set of MHA data revealed that the government has been struggling to post senior police officers in central police organisations as inadequate numbers are available in the central pool, with over 50 per cent of the sanctioned strength of SPs and nearly 25 per cent of DIGs lying vacant.

According to the data, comprising 17 central police organisations and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), at the SP-level, against the total sanctioned posts of 224, only 99 officers are placed to work in these organisations. In the case of DIGs, 63 posts are lying vacant, against the sanctioned strength of 254.

The data also shows that maximum number of vacancies are reported by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Notably, all these police organisations are critical for ensuring internal security.

The IB has reported that it has only 26 DIG-level officers against its sanctioned strength of 63, and only 32 SPs against its sanctioned posts of 83. The situation is no different in the case of the CBI, where 55 vacancies exist against the sanctioned post of 73 SP-level officers.