“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 5th and 6th 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 4th 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.
