In a move aimed at curbing future mass agitations by vested interests, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is understood to have instructed the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) to undertake a comprehensive study of all major protests since India’s independence, focusing particularly on those that occurred after 1974.
According to reports, the objective is to analyse their underlying causes, financial dimensions, outcomes, and the individuals or groups operating behind the scenes. Based on this analysis, a standard operating procedure (SOP) is to be developed to serve as a preventive mechanism.
These directives were reportedly issued by Shah during the two-day ‘National Security Strategies Conference-2025’ organised by the Intelligence Bureau in New Delhi in the final week of July.
As part of this initiative, the BPR&D, an agency under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has begun the process of forming a dedicated team.
Reports added that the team will coordinate with state police departments to access archival case files. They will include accessing records maintained by their Crime Investigation Departments (CID).
Vibes of India understands that the BPR&D has been explicitly instructed to delve into the patterns, causes, and outcomes of the protests, including identifying the behind-the-scenes players. The outcome of this extensive study is expected to guide the formulation of an SOP aimed at preventing future agitations driven by vested interests.
Shah is also said to have directed the BPR&D to involve financial investigative bodies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND), and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Their role will be to examine the financial underpinnings of these protests.
In a related measure targeting terror funding, the ED, FIU-IND, and CBDT have also been asked to prepare a separate SOP. This will focus on identifying unknown terror networks, tracing their linkages, and exposing their operational designs through financial irregularity analysis.
Additionally, the BPR&D has been asked to work with state police forces to conduct a study on religious congregations. The aim is to investigate the causes behind incidents such as stampedes and develop an SOP for effective monitoring and regulation of such events.
Reports, attributing unnamed officials, claimed that Shah instructed the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Border Security Force (BSF), and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to devise distinct strategies for addressing Khalistani extremism and broader criminal activities in Punjab.
An official mentioned that intelligence agencies have been advised to assemble a team of officers with strong knowledge of Punjab-specific issues. The NIA, in particular, has been encouraged to devise innovative, unconventional methods to dismantle domestic terror-criminal nexuses. This includes relocating imprisoned criminals, who continue to operate their networks from within jails to correctional facilities in different parts of the country.
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