India needs to upgrade intelligence to fight terrorism, Singh says

India's investigative and intelligence agencies must be strengthened to combat terrorists, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Saturday, days after New Delhi was hit by a bombing that claimed 13 lives, DPA reported.

"We must continuously upgrade and strengthen our investigating agencies and our intelligence gathering apparatus to deal more effectively with newer methods and technologies that terrorists and Maoist (left-wing) extremists adopt," Singh said at an event in New Delhi.

"The terrorist attack in Delhi last Wednesday is a stark reminder to us that there can be no let-up in our vigilance," Singh said.

"No civilized society can tolerate or endorse loss of innocent lives in pursuit of any ideology," he said, referring to the September 7 blast outside the High Court in the city, which left nearly 100 injured.

Singh briefed the conference about steps taken by the government to counter terrorism.

An intelligence-sharing mechanism under a multi-agency centre had been "bolstered" and a National Intelligence Centre was being made operational, he said.

Coastal security had also been strengthened and state and federal police organizations were being linked on a computer network. Besides, regional hubs of elite commandos had also been set up across the country.

Singh's statement comes against a backdrop of security experts warning that more terrorist strikes were likely since India still had weak intelligence gathering and counterterrorism systems.

Investigators have detained five suspects in connection with the attack and were examining the possibility of home-grown Islamist groups as well as outfits based in Pakistan and Bangladesh behind the bombing.

Federal Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said investigators had secured "promising, but not conclusive" leads in the probe so far.