indian internal security challenege

“victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat for it is momentary”

These are the golden lines of mahatma Gandhi through which he tried to guide the path of human civilization towards a noble aim of peace and non violence .but in his own countryhydra of violence has raised its ugly head time and again.internal security challenge is one head of this hydra whose tentacles are well spread in life and hue of this country.it becomes imperative to look at the gradual evolution of this challenge along with the very basic question that whether Indian nation state had been effective in dealing with it?

                          Internal security itself implies the security and well being of people in all the facets of their activity whether it be economical,social or political.anything and everything that threatens the fabric of society will be termed as a challenge and any challenge has like a disease an incubation period during which it spreads and strengthens itself.response of state should also not only be a cure but a prevention alongwith so as not only to treat the disease but eliminate it.

                                                                                                                                  The issue of internal security is coming on forefront because of recent video release of al qaeda to create upsurge of religious militancy in india,publication of Islamic state fatwas in Indian languages to lure Indian youth,burdhman blasts and success achieved by Indian forces in naxalite areas leading to mass level surrender of naxalites.constant threat of aiding of separatistrs by external state and non state actors is also a reason to bring the discussion on internal security in limelight.

                                                                                                        Therefore it needs to be seen that what are the various internal security challenges as well as their evolution and nature and whether the response of Indian state through all its strategies worked or not to tackle these challenges?it should also be looked at what can be done to not only effectively resist such issues but also to prepare for their resurgence?broadly internal security challenges can be divided as purely internal or externally aided internal.

             First and foremost challenge to internal security is of naxalism.its origin Is from the 1967 incident of naxalbari village of darhjeeling district of west Bengal where a tribal youth was not allowed to plough his land inspite of court orders which then resulted in clashes and police firing.this challenge evolved as one from urban phenomenon to one centred on support of rural populace predominantly tribals.nature of naxalism can be gauged from the fact that its spread is from tirupati to pashupatinath ,covering 9 states of which 81 districts are on high alert.its stronghold is an area rich in minerals,tribals and forests with its ideology embedded in emotive issue of jal jangal and jameen.a disturbing trend is that in 2004 mcc and pwg wings fused together and its activities ranged from killing of security personnel to extortions from contractors.

                                                  Government response to this challenge is based on two pronged strategy of security and development.on development side implementation of panchayat extension to scheduled areas act and forest rights act along with various schemes like integrated area programmes and surrender cum rehabilitation schemes working wonders.on security side govt had stationed paramilitary forces in this area and strengthened police presence through modernization.govt has also opened on its dialogue front by open invitation to naxal leaders with promise of’not to leave their cadres or shed their ideology or leave arms but come to talks’.recently passed land acquisition act show the sincerity of govt to solve their grievances.

                                         Another internal security challenge come from tendency of separatism in various parts of the country.india has been uniquely endowed with so much resources that its various regions have a very little interdependence on each other.result is forging of special identity among the regions themselves.this results in further flaring up of separatist tendencies.

                                                                                                                             First and foremost prevalence of this separatist tendency can be seen in the crown of india,that is Kashmir.separatistissm evolved from a wide plethora of factors ranging from malpractices in elections specially of 1987 to overt and covert support by men and materials from other side of border.nature of this separatism has been to wage a proxy war on india as well as to ignite up the feelings of ordinary people of Kashmir.decade of 1990s mmarked by plight of kashmiri pundits and after that crackdown of security forces on the valley was an unforgettable decade in history of Kashmir.

                                                                            Govt response to this challenge have been to put firmly that Kashmir is integral part of india whose safety and security is responsibility of whole country.result is that for Indian neighbor its problem of Kashmir while for india its problem in Kashmir.govt have given maximum possible autonomy to j nd k under article 370 ,has started many skill development and job provision schemes ,and election commission has played a vital role by conducting peaceful elections in valley.indian security response in Kashmir is through the agency of army as well as paramilitary forces .but implementation of afspa has become a sign of oppression.though hope gets renewed by increasing selections of kashmiris in civil services and by increasing tourism in region yet much needs to be done.

                                                                         Second separatist tendency was seen in the food bowl of india.that is Punjab.rise of the demand of Punjabi nation from that of Punjabi suba was the main turning point in punjab’s history.its evolution is from largely a nonviolent protest marked by anandpur sahib resolution to decade of 1980s mmarked by bloodshed and violence.operation blue start and black thunder have become a sin of this struggle.in recent days,this is posing itself in issuance of security threats to major political leaders and violent attacks on some of the actors involved in past governmental response.

                                          Govt response to this challenge had been first to increase the boots on the groundfollowed by discussions with moderate leaders like inking of rajiv longowal acoord of 1985.peaceful conduct of elections to state assembly in 1992 and commemoration of 300 years of khalsa panth in 1999 marked the mainstreaming of alienated sections in this part of county.but care should be taken because rising drug menace and educated unemployment in Punjab can again rejuvenate this separatism.

                                               Third separatism challenge comes from seven sister state or state of north east.demand of separatist groups  in these states ranged from creation of a separate state to that of a separate nation.its evolution is rooted in various factors like geographical cutoff from rest of india,racial difference bcz of mongoloid features,existence as a separate kingdom at times of britishers,poor governance by govt like at times of bamboo overpopulation crisis of Mizoram in 1960s and active support from hostile neighbours.nature of challenge is quite distinct because most of insurgent groups not only fight against security forces but with each other also.separatists also force the local people to pay tax to them and that is a serious issue as it strengthen alienation.

                                                                                                                               Govt response to this challenge has been in two strands.first is to give regional autonomy like by way of 5^th and 6^th schedule and carving out separate states for example Nagaland in 1963 ,Mizoram and Tripura in 1972,arunachal Pradesh and meghalya in 1987.second response of govt is to put security forces in north east.assam rifle is the oldest counter insurgency force .govt has been very effective in dealing with separatism in north east .its success can be gauged from the state of mizoram whose democratically elected chief minister was once leader of insurgents and state is second only to kerala in literacy and women empowerment.

                                                                                               Another internal security challeng to Indian nation state come not from separatism but from a problem that is biggest challenge in today’s world.this problem is of terrorism.as per a recent survey,india has been 4^th  in ranking to suffer from ill effects of terrorism.2001 terrorist attacks on parliament and 26/11 mumbai terror attacks show the severity of this problem.terrorism in india has evolved from sending fighters across the borderto setting up of sleeper cells in country itsel.nature of terrorism has always been to hit the densely populated areas and cause as many as possible lives to be lost.a very dangerous trend of terrorism is fidayeen or suiCide attacks in which terrorists are sent with sureshot sense of impending death.

                                                                                                                                           Govt response to terrorism has been to strengthen intelligence sharing,operational effectiveness and forging international collaboration.9/11 of usa has changed the viewpoint of antiterrorism from law and order to an issue of national security.indian got has set natgrid,nsg and macaong with other agencies like ntro to tackle issue of terrorism.not only this,india is also looking to issue of cyber terrorism and had set up national critical infrastructure protection centre and computer emergency response team which works 24^7.indian support to Afghanistan rejuvenation is also a step in the direction of terror free world.

                                                                                                      Another issue of india’s national security arises from the conglomeration of communal violence and social media.every year nearly 100 persons die of communal riots while  on the other hand social media is a medium of fast spread of information with a major caveat that information can be false or true.social media thus become a space through which hatredness spreads like a wildfire at times of riot.muzaffrnagar riots of 2013 points to this challenge which was also discussed in subsequent national interation council meeting chaired by prime minister.various terrorist organizations like al qaeda or Islamic state is creating inroads into Indian disgruntled youth through the agency of social media.

                                                         Govt response to this serious issue has been to put an intelligence apparatus to look out for any vnting grievance.govt has the power to effectively monitor online communication under Indian telegraph act 1885.secular characteristics of Indian states are a very strong bulwark against such tendencies and moreover Indian democracy is strongly working as effective grievance redressal mechanism as it makes the authority replaceable ,if it fails to perform its duty.

                                                     Though it can be pointed out that there are lot of internal security challenged to this country yet it should be appreciated that most of the challenges have been worked out but in any democracy ,if there are problems then the solutions must come out not only as a respite but as a response and so is true for the challenge of internal security.

                                                                         First such solution to problem of internal security comes from the institution of ationable intelligence.this can only be possible if there is strong centre state coordination.national counter terrorism agency is one such example where not only centre and states can come too board but where actionable intelligence can also be possible.its formation can be tweaked so as to include state security appratuson its board so that states can actively collaborate in its functioning.

                       Second solution to thee problem of internal security come from police reforms.there is  no replacement to boot  on ground.following supreme court directives in prakash singh case in this  regard can go a long way  like by setting up state security commission,transparent appointment process of chiefs of central police agencies and state  police,minimum 2 yr ternure to field officers etc..need is  to implement them in spirit and not only in letter alone.

                                                                                Third suggestion to tackle the internal security problem comes from sustainable development whose effect can be felt in each nook and corner of country.this is possible through the principles of subsidiarity,decentralization,devolution,delegation along with debureaucratisation at lower levels.strenghthening of gram sabhas and ward sabhas should be the first step towards aforesaid principles.this will not only minimize grievances but will also decrease support to insurgents and separatists .mahatma gandhiji had perfectly summarized this from of development when he said”I shall work  for an india in which the poorest shall feel that its their country in whose making they have an effective voice.”

                                                    Fourth suggestion to tackle the problem of interal security comes by way of strong but effective response of security forces along with proper care of human rights.in long run ,work of security forces is not gauged from the insurgents it killed but from the disgruntled youth who have left weapons .though Indian army and paramilitary forces have always remained professional in their approach but certain laws governing their action like afspa need to be amended because its becoming a symbol of oppression.aong with it,there is an imperative need to spread the message of communal harmony aggressively among the people and restrenthen the bonds of unity and brotherhood.

                                                      Having said that ,it can be pointed out that though there are many internal security challengslike naxalism,terrorism,separatism in Punjab or Kashmir or north east  yet Indian response is quite effective in dealing with by way of strengthening security presence,renewing the thrust on development in affected areas and opening doors to dialogue to one who are willing to come to table.there can be certain improvements like in security architecture by way of police reforms or instituting actionable intelligence,thrust on sustainable development as well as political participation of one and all.

                              Internal security challenges in india has volved from a benign looking problem to a malignant tumour and this alone is a serious challenge in itself.though democracy with one person one vote and one vote one value has worked wondersin tackling all these issues yet there needs much more to be done so that our country can be a place of peace for all our citizens an irony is  that,it rescue is also in democracy as they say-

“solution of every problem in democracy is more democracy itself.”

                                        Its hopeful that Indian nation state will one day attain the dream of mahatma Gandhi whose base will be non violence and whose aim will be peace.the index of such an objective will be smile on the face of a little girl coming out from a school located in a hitherto untouched area,with her mind sharper than yesterday.