Internal Security in India

In a week when the new channels are focused on the audacious strike by terrorists in Mumbai, it seems appropriate to take a close look at the security outlook for India.

A friend of many years, who is also a very senior police officer, offered this perspective:

• When the “security doctrine” (if ever there was one) for India was conceived, the focus was on combating external threats. It was assumed that domestic security requirement was limited to managing law-and-order. Consequently, the resources for security were shared between police and the army – with the latter getting the lions share
• The security climate has now turned a full 180 degrees – the security threat from external sources is significantly reduced, while that from internal sources is much higher
• India now needs an alternate security management outlook. One option is to extend the role of the army to manage security within the country. This, however, may require significant re-training. The military is used to following its own rules, and not used to managing civilian situations. Alternately, the police need significantly enhanced resources

Why is the domestic security environment so poor? Here, I think, the blame must be put at the door of the civilians of this country. We are a divided polity. Irrespective of how much we blame the politicians, we have to accept that there is a real division in civil society and the politics of this country just reflects this. Consequently, there is no single security goal that can be set.

The USA post 9/11 is often held up as an example of how to manage homeland security. However a comparison between India and the USA reflects complete lack of understanding of the circumstances of the two countries.

Physically, the USA does not share its boundaries with neighbors inimical to its interests. Internal issues are equally important – the US society is not divided on religious lines – it has no significant minority groups with international affiliations that sympathize with attempts to redraw its boundaries. (Oops, now I can be criticized for being “non-secular”)

Also, the legal system has evolved to a stage where the society is beyond debating common laws to be applied to all citizens. The USA does not have a Human Rights Commission! And when it needs to interrogate people and not provide them with right to counsel, it just takes them to Guantanamo Bay!

In India, the distrust between the federal government and those of the states is high. This offers a significant barrier to the creation of a central agency for coordinated planning and action. The CBI – which is supposed to investigate crimes at a federal level, is most often used by the government of the day to investigate its political rival. How can a new agency help? Even if we assume that such an agency can work towards one common goal, defining such a goal is almost impossible in the current context. Most states in India are now ruled by local rather than national parties, reflecting the growth of local aspirations, and the inability of the national parties to keep themselves relevant. There are no easy answers.