Amit Shah launches national digital IED database to strengthen counter-terror shield

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a national digital platform for managing data on improvised explosive device (IED) incidents, describing it as a “next-generation security shield against terror” and a major deterrent against bombings across the country.

The National IED Data Management System (NIDMS) has been developed by the National Security Guard (NSG) in collaboration with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Gandhinagar; IIT Delhi; the National Investigation Agency (NIA); and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). The platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to analyse patterns, signatures and trends associated with bombing incidents.

About the NIDMS:

The National IED Data Management System (NIDMS) is a centralised digital platform that records and analyses all bombing incidents in India. It collects details of blasts, IED composition, forensic evidence, modus operandi patterns, and suspect information, while also referencing major global attacks. Using AI and machine learning, it helps security agencies link incidents, improve forensic investigations, support prosecutions, predict threats, and enhance inter-agency coordination.

Shah inaugurated the facility via video conference from New Delhi, connecting to the system housed at the NSG garrison in Manesar, Haryana. He said IED attacks remain one of the most challenging internal security threats, having killed thousands of civilians and security personnel and seriously injured many others over the years.

Calling the NIDMS a “national asset”, the Home Minister said the platform would function as a “one nation, one data repository” for all IED-related incidents. It will provide comprehensive, standardised data to state police forces, Anti-Terrorist Squads, central armed police forces, the NIA and other investigative agencies, enabling them to analyse the modus operandi of bombings and strengthen preventive and investigative capabilities.

Shah added that the system would improve the quality of forensic evidence, help speed up prosecutions, and significantly enhance coordination and information-sharing among multiple agencies involved in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

NSG Director General Brighu Srinivasan said the NIDMS is a real-time information exchange platform that will collect, analyse and disseminate data on all bombing incidents in the country. He described the system as unique, noting that during its preparatory phase, 26 “friendly” countries were consulted and none had a similar integrated national facility.

According to the NSG, the platform already has around 800 authorised users from various government agencies. It can identify “signature linkages” between different blast incidents, assist post-blast investigations, and conduct predictive analysis to help thwart potential attacks.

The NIDMS is part of the NSG’s National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) , which analyses all types of bombings in India and also tracks major explosions globally. Established in 2000, the NBDC maintains records of all bombing incidents in the country since 1999.

Raised in 1984, the NSG—popularly known as the ‘Black Cats’—is India’s elite counter-terrorism force, tasked with specialised counter-terror and counter-hijack operations, in addition to protecting select high-risk VIPs.