How did Modi govt handle internal security in two years- Part 2
New Delhi, May 24: There have been several hits where the handling of Internal Security by the two year old Narendra Modi government is concerned. In the first part we dealt with the hits or achievements on this front.
In this second part, we take a look at where the government has failed on the internal security front.
The two glaring misses of the government on this front would be the Pathankot attack and the terrorism problem in Kashmir. The Pathankot attack was a result of some lapses. However the bigger challenge for the Modi government is Kashmir and the rapid rise in militancy.
Two years of Modi govt: Hits and misses in handling internal security- Part 1
The
Pathankot
attack:
Before
commenting
on
this
attack,
one
should
bear
in
mind
that
a
terrorist
needs
to
be
lucky
once,
but
the
security
agency
needs
to
be
lucky
all
the
time.
In
the
Pathankot
attack,
what
one
must
need
to
look
at
is
the
advance
intelligence
that
India
had.
An
attack
despite
pretty
concrete
intelligence
in
advance.
It all begins with the border problem. The drug mafia operates freely along the Indo-Pak border at Punjab. It is these drug smugglers who sneak in the terrorists too. There was a complete lapse at the border and the security was caught napping.
The government was aware that this is a dangerous border and could have worked on securing it since day one.
The complaint by the Punjab SP about being abducted by the terrorists should have been treated more seriously. The problem was that at first many doubted the SP and due to this crucial time was lost.
The other decision was to send in the NSG ahead of the Special Forces is also a very debatable decision considering that the former specialises in situations where there is a hostage crisis.
The Kashmir issue:
Kashmir is on the boil and there have been a spate of incidents. Take for instance the Udhampur attack on the BSF personnel. Yesterday twin strikes in Srinagar was also a major wake up call. Many would argue that the reaction was slow when it came to the problem of terrorism in Kashmir.
Not every one in a terrorist organisation is an ideologically driven person. There are many in Kashmir who have complained that slow reforms in providing employment is one of the reasons why many youth have become gullible.
It is probably for the first time that we are witnessing the advent of the social media where terrorism in Kashmir is concerned.
When the young Burhan Wani an educated youth joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and posted pictures of himself on the social media, it should have been dealt with immediately. Instead it took nearly one year to wake up to the situation and in the meantime several youth had already joined.
The other issue is with regard to the alliance in Kashmir. Keeping Kashmir under Governor's rule for too long is a blunder.
The state needs a local government so that the local issues are addressed. In the absence of a government for over three months, the state was under the control of the governor and during this period some elements had spun out of control.
Points
of
infiltration:
Identifying
the
infiltration
points
should
have
been
the
first
priority.
Terror
from
Pakistan
is
India's
biggest
concern
and
to
resolve
this
the
border
needs
to
be
secure.
The
infiltrations
started
to
increase
in
the
year
2013
and
went
on
for
a
long
time.
The security agencies and also the intelligence bureau were not able to immediately identify the infiltration points. The BSF complained that due to the lack of radars they are unable to man such a huge border. The decision to mend the borders in Punjab came only after the Pathankot attack.
OneIndia News