Indias internal security challenges

In the Arthashastra, Kautilya wrote that a state could be at risk from four types of threats - internal, external, externally-aided internal and internally-aided external. He advised that of these four types, internal threats should be taken care of immediately, for internal troubles, like the fear of the lurking snake, are far more serious than external threats. The most dangerous enemy is the enemy within.
Kautilyas teachings on internal security and his skilful expression of the warp and weft of internal and external security has great relevance in the globalised 21st century. Destabilising a country through internal disturbances is more economical and less objectionable, particularly when direct warfare is not an option and international borders cannot be violated. External adversaries, particularly the weaker ones, find it easier to create and aid forces which cause internal unrest and instability.
Itis very surprising to note that the country which freed itself from the clutches of its colonial masters by following the path of ahimsa is now every other day making headlines for violent fiery rage of its countrymen. India is hindered from its progressive path by various challenges that is threatening its internal security. Naxalism/ Maoist insurgency, secessionist tendencies, communalism, ethnic clashes, religious intolerance, misogynist attitudes etc are some of them.
Naxalism
Naxalism is today Indias most serious threat to itself. It has affected nearly 9 states: Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and west Bengal encompassing the eastern region of the country from north to south, commonly called as the red corridor. Left wing extremism was prevalent decades ago since 1960s and 70s. Sheer neglect and ignorance led to compounding of the problem making it the biggest concern for development.
In 2004, peoples war group(PWG) then operating in Andhra Pradesh and Maoist communist centre of India(MCCI) then operating in Bihar and adjoining areas combined to form the CPI(M)- Communist Party of India(Maoist). This amalgamation strengthened their ideologies to their advantage. CPI (M) is the major left wing extremist outfit responsible for majority of the violent incident and killing of civilians and security forces and has been included in the schedule of terrorist organisations under the unlawful activities (prevention) act, 1967.
The LWE signifies the fact that the country is at war with itself. The extremists philosophy of armed struggle to overthrow the state government is against the principles of parliamentary democracy. The LWE are sceptical of the capitalist initiatives, having lost faith in the governmental set up, root for the rule of the proletariat class. Government has called them to end violence and come for peace talks. However this plea was rejected as they believe in violence to achieve their objectives. This has resulted in bloodshed and terroristic activities in many parts of the country. The innocent village men, security forces and tribal people are facing the brunt of such bloodshed.
The extremists (agitating people) are people who have lost their homes, forests, fodder, lands, frustrated unemployed people, devoid of the fruits of development. They have lost their means of livelihood due to land acquisition, alienation, and monopolistic policy decisions of the state. Economic disparity has been the main cause for the rise of extremism rather than the ideological basis. Their exploitation has been further severed by the lackadaisical attitudes of the bureaucrats, inefficient administrative setup, lack of delivery mechanisms and grievance redressal measures. However any displeasure cannot be justified with violence and killings.
Government has initiated various measures to tackle such insurgencies such as creation of specially trained police forces like grey hounds, CoBRA etc, fortification of all the police stations in the affected LWE districts, modern armouries and specialised training to improve the defence capabilities of security forces.
Most of the LWE affected districts are backward and poor on various human development indicators. Realising this importance, government has also started social welfare programmes like Integrated action plan (IAP), special infrastructure scheme (SIS), Security related expenditure (SRE) scheme, Backward regions grant fund (BRGF) etc.. Such schemes are aimed at altering the critical infrastructure gaps and provide the necessities for construction of School Buildings, Anganwadi Centres, Drinking Water Facilities, Rural Roads, Panchayats Bhawans, PDS shops, skill trainings, Minor Irrigation Works, Electric Lighting, Health Centres, construction of Toilets, construction of passenger waiting hall, construction of ANM Centres, development of play grounds etc.
Secessionists interests
In addition, there are many secessionist interests and the so called revolutionary movements operating in the country today. Their goal could be to overthrow the government and bring about revolutionary changes in the structure and functioning of the state, or even secession from the Indian Union. Ever since independence, India has been facing all types of violent conflicts based on religion, caste, language, ethnicity and regional loyalties. Political insecurity further compounds the problem.
The Naga leadership under Z.A. Phizo had challenged their integration into the Indian Union even before India became independent in 1947. The Naga insurgency started way back in the early 1950s. Since then the insurgencies in this region have multiplied and spread to many new areas. Some seek secession from the Indian Union, some others seek separate states and yet others greater autonomy within the existing state.
The number of such insurgent groups could reach three-digit figures. In Manipur alone, more than twenty-five groups are operating. In Assam, the demands for bodoland have shunned the economic life of the region and have led to the creation of many militant groups like ULFA. Thousands have died in the insurgency-related violence.
Preoccupied with the problem of survival, the state governments in some of the most affected states are not looking at the problem from a long-term perspective. They have bought temporary peace by compromising with the subversive forces. Such short-sighted policies can have disastrous consequences in the long run. It is not surprising that in some parts of the state, the local men and police forces have joined hands with the subversive.
Finding themselves at the mercy of these subversive forces, the people tend to change sides and start supporting them instead of supporting the security forces. It would be wrong to assume that all those supporting, directly or indirectly, these forces are sympathetic to their ideology. Far from it! For most of them, preoccupied with the daily battle of survival, this is the obvious choice, because the police are unable to protect them.
The whole developmental process is seriously hampered because of this unending violence. The geo-strategic importance of the North-East is not sufficiently appreciated even in the security establishment. All the states in the North-East share an international border with other countries and the seven North-Eastern states are linked to the rest of the country only by a narrow strip of land. The lack of physical, cultural and emotional links has encouraged a feeling of alienation, which is being exploited by the anti national elements to pursue their own agenda.
The roots of these many insurgencies in the North-East lie deep in its history and its geography. The many ethnic groups, speaking many different languages and dialects, who inhabit this remote part of the country consider themselves as separate people with little in common with the people in the rest of the country. The lack of physical, cultural and emotional links has encouraged this feeling of separation.
The politician-police-criminal nexus has further emboldened the criminal elements. This creates a situation of lawlessness, where the rich and powerful violate the law with impunity. The police system is not the only department that is suffering but the entire justice system is strained. Not all cases are registered, and if registered there are not properly investigated, out of those very few are charge sheeted resulting in almost very low levels of conviction rates. In some north eastern state, the police have stopped submitting charge sheets in insurgency related cases.
When the fear of legal punishment disappears, organised crime makes its way. Money power, extortion and the so called protection money become more widespread. Many of the insurgent and militant groups are not driven by ideology, but by sheer greed. Money power is a bigger motivating factor than ideology. This mutually beneficial relationship has seriously damaged the quality of governance in the interior areas.
The real losers are the people. The development process gets seriously hampered in a violent environment. The deprived and the marginalised sections of the society, unable to survive in the present system, get alienated. The militant and extremist forces thrive in this environment. The rise of Left extremism and insurgents is more due to these compulsions than on ideological grounds.
Communal tensions
The rise of armed senas based on ethnic and caste lines in some parts of the country has led to the polarisation of the society. Loss of public confidence on the state and police to protect life and property has further strengthened their interests. Their attacks on religious lines have created a sense of insecurity among the people. Far from controlling them, some partisan political groups and police have encouraged their development.
Political high lords have always utilised the minority groups as vote banks, playing the communal card to their advantage, supporting their cause and cry, every time the elections makes it to the corner. This utilisation of the citizenry by dividing them on the communal basis is not new. The legacy of the British has still not left the country. Polarisation on caste and religious lines can further reduce the credibility of the democracy in the minds of the people.
Ethnic, communal, linguistic and sectarian clashes have shadowed the basic principle of common brotherhood enshrined in our constitution. The principle of vasudaiva kutumbam( the world is our family) has remained always in books and papers. The lack of faith and trust among fellow citizens has led to their exploitation by various section of society for personal greed and aggrandizement.
The rise of fundamentalist forces is posing the most serious threat to Indias security. Fired with religious zeal these forces have created an entirely new situation. These bands of fanatics are not only indulging in subversive activities, but are spreading the virus of fundamentalism. The break-up of the Indian Union continues to be their main goal. Easy availability of deadly weapons with the subversive groups operating in India has created new dangers for Indias security.
Other forms of violence
With the Golden Crescent, and the Golden Triangle in Indias neighbourhood, drug trafficking poses yet another threat to our security. Drug syndicates are generating huge funds, a part of which is being used to give financial support to criminal activities in the country. Drug trafficking and adulteration have been used by many to create a panic situation in the country.
Low levels of tolerance has diseased the democracy to the deepest level. It is now enough for just a film or a clipping or a song or even just a facebook/twitter post or for that matter just a word/sentence to hurt the sentiments of the people and create outrage. Participative democracy has been tethered to its pieces with such growing levels of impatience and intolerance.
In public perception a government that is unable to discharge all its responsibilities is more likely to respond when the demand is loud, organised and backed by acts of violence. It is even easier to create a mob and clashes and undermine the process of governance. So subtle and fragile is the security situation in the country. It has become very easy and simple to take up arms and wage a war and more and more difficult to keep calm and promote peace. Any amount of force will not deter this rage. It is only our determined and concerted effort to avoid becoming a pawn in some masters game will keep up the credibility of democratic governance.
It is very alarming to observe the number of juveniles involved in serious crimes. More and more delinquents have been convicted under the juvenile justice act (care and protection), 2000. Distorted minds are an indication of poor levels of education, illiteracy and disturbed childhood. It is very essential to catch them young, reform and rehabilitate their future.
Misogynist attitudes and patriarchal ways have demeaned the stature of women in society. Progress towards social emancipation of women in society has not achieved the desired outcome. The societal balance has been disturbed. Our skewed sex ratio of 940 females to 1000 males bears a testament to heinous crimes against women like female foeticide, female infanticide, abortions, acid attacks, molestation, sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, murder etc
Conclusion
Effective steps to reduce ethnic and social inequalities, disparities in educational and employment opportunities and for creating effective machinery for the redressal of public grievance are essential to prevent extremists violence. Steps to reduce economic deprivation and improve the delivery of essential services can erode the base of public support on which the extremist movements survive.
Lack of police reforms is fracturing the autonomy, accountability and responsiveness of the system. The Supreme Court directive in 2006 put forth guidelines to the states to improve the functioning of the police. However they have not been implemented as yet in many states. Use of ICT to develop modern techniques of investigation, forensics should be made available. Fortification of the police stations with well equipped machinery like CCTV cameras, bomb detectors, rifles, pistols etc should make its way into the system. Gender sensitization is of utmost importance given the increasing crimes on women.
The need for a well co-ordinated security apparatus cannot be undermined. A well structured machinery involving the army, paramilitary, intelligence, central forces and state police should be managed in every state. A composite force like that of NSG should be stationed in every state to meet the unforeseen violent strikes.
Special training on mob handling and criminal psychology should be provided. There is a need to make the forces more professional and improving their quality rather than emphasizing on the number of men. Standard operating procedures should be laid down with ample scope to exercise discretion to balance autonomy with accountability.
Centre is duty bound to intervene, if the security challenges are beyond the control of the state, as laid down in the constitution. The primary responsibility of maintain the law and order is with the state government as mentioned in the state list, but art 353 the union government is charged with the responsibility to protect the state government from internal disturbances. Action for non-compliance of the directions from the Union government can be taken under Article 365.
A state government can be dismissed under Article 356, if a situation arises in which the administration of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. A national emergency can be declared under Article 352.But, even if the Centre decides to intervene, the states role cannot be minimised. The many internal security challenges can be met effectively only with full cooperation between the central and the state governments.
The internal security problems should not be treated as merely law and order problems. They have to be dealt with comprehensively in all their dimensions and at all levels political, economic and social. The security requirements have to be met, but that does not mean giving the security agencies a free hand. Striking the right balance is the key to success in meeting these challenges effectively.
Shaik Shabana

Sources
www.moha.gov.in
www.indiastrategic.in
www.idsa.in
www.claws.in