The Prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said there is likelihood of disturbance by terror during Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Addressing the delegates of DGPs and IGPs conference in New Delhi on Saturday, Dr Singh asked security forces to be careful to meet the challenges posed by the terrorist groups.

He said that the resurgence of terrorist groups, particularly the L-e-T and increased infiltration attempts call for heightened vigil and coordination.

Referring to Muzaffarnagar group clashes, he said that the country cannot afford such a state of affairs.

Dr. Singh said the country’s law and order agencies must ensure that trivial or local issues are not exploited by vested interest to inflame passion.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the security forces must tackle the communal disturbance with utmost firmness without prejudice fear or favour.

Dr. Singh also stressed the need to curb the misuse of social media and SMS which played a big role to fan violence during recent disturbance in Muzzafarnagar. He also felt the need to find creative solutions for cyber security.

Regarding growing naxal insurgency, the Prime Minister said it is important that the security forces should not let up their efforts to root out the menace.

Dr. Singh asked the state DGPs to improve the quality of governance and the pace of development in the naxal affected areas.

On tackling the growing challenges of metropolitan policing, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to introduce the concept of community policing which not only helps prevention and detection of crime but also encourages citizens to associate themselves with the local police in solving neighborhood problems.

The Prime Minister presented police medals and released a postal stamp to mark the 125th anniversary of the Intelligence Bureau.

Regarding the safety and security of women and children, the Prime Minister said that though several laws providing stringent punishment for crime against women and children have been enacted, there is also a need to put in place other institutional mechanisms to ensure their safety and security.

Talking about the security situation in the North-East, the Prime Minister said persistent efforts on the part of the Government have resulted in considerable progress in the dialogue with insurgents and ethnic separatist groups.

However, insurgency, extortion and agitation continue and the Government needs to tackle all these with collective resolve and firm determination.