India's Unyielding Stand Against Terror: "Terrorists will either go to jail or to hell"

Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, delivered a firm warning to terrorists on Wednesday, asserting that “will either face jail time or meet their demise.”

Union Minister Nityanand Rai speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi,(Sansad TV)

“Earlier, the terrorists used to be glorified, they were even given great food. But now, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its zero tolerance towards terrorism, there have been zero terrorist incidents in the hinterland...Terrorists will either go to jail or hell,” ANI quoted Rai's statement in response to a question on terrorism during the Rajya Sabha's question hour.

"The Modi government has a policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism. The government is taking all steps to end terrorism. As a result, there has been a 71 per cent decrease in terrorist activities," Rai added.

Rai, in a written response to the Rajya Sabha, stated that as of March 12, 2025, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered 652 cases since its inception, with 516 cases reaching the charge-sheet stage.

So far, the NIA has arrested 4,232 individuals, and 625 have been convicted. Of the 157 cases that have been decided, 150 resulted in convictions, he added.

Rai further highlighted the NIA’s crucial role in countering terrorism, noting that the agency has achieved a conviction rate of 95.54% in its investigations.

“NIA Investigated Cases Have a Conviction Rate of 95.54%”: Rai

"The conviction rate of NIA investigated cases is 95.54 per cent. NIA has seized/attached a total of 551 (movable and immovable) properties under UA(P) Act, worth 116.27 crore rupees," the minister said.

Rai emphasized the NIA's expanded presence, which now includes 21 branch offices across the country, along with its headquarters in New Delhi and zonal offices in Guwahati and Jammu.

Before 2019, the NIA operated only eight branch offices. Since then, the government has established 13 additional branch offices and two zonal offices. Notably, in the past three years alone, nine new branch offices and both zonal offices have been approved and made operational.

Additionally, over the last three years, the government has created 625 new positions within the NIA, including roles for technical experts and senior officers, he noted.

"The NIA has a total of 1901 sanctioned posts at present, out of which 625 posts (including one post of ADG, six posts of IG rank officers and 105 posts of technical experts) have been created during the last three years," he added.

(This Article was originally published by Hindustan Times)