Terrorism Today
Industrial and e conomic expansion has helped India to reduce its federal fiscal deficit. Ongoing disagreement with Pakistan over Kashmir, caste and religious issues, movement of extremist organizations, networks, and individuals has blemished our impressive achievement in economic and industrial fronts . Terrorist activities have become a major issue for India as Indian links are exposed in London and Australia. We have to act fast with greater force to prevent further attacks inside as well as outside the country. These elements simply threaten our interests and overthrow civil order and replace freedom with conflict and hatred.
Terrorism is a term used to describe unlawful violence or other unlawful harmful acts committed (or threatened) against civilians by groups or persons for political or other ideological goals. They use suicide bombings, beheadings, and other atrocities against innocent people as a means to promote their creed.
We Indians have become vulnerable to ethnic, religious and anti-Indian extremists act. Domestically there is a silent movement fueled by a radical ideology of hatred and oppression and many dormant units within the country can manifest itself in violence. The trends show that there is a decreasing frequency but increasing lethality of attack. In India t errorist networks today are more dispersed and less centralized. They are more reliant on smaller cells inspired by a common ideology and less directed by a central command structure. Though we have thwarted many attacks, we have not been able to prevent them all. Terrorists have struck in many places throughout the country. Sophisticated use of the Internet and media has enabled terrorists to communicate, recruit, train, rally support and spread their propaganda without risking personal contact. Our prosperity, the rising tide of democracy, and the right of all people to live without fear of indiscriminate violence is under threat.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
We need to build strong foundations, institutions and networks to fight terror. We should use the positive energy and skills of citizens to protect the country against any attempts at undermining its stability. We need to enhance our counter-terrorism mechanism at both citizen and government level in the following ways.
CITIZENS
1. Give up individual freedom
We citizens should be ready to give up individual freedoms if situation warrants for increasing our national security. When there is a threat people should realize the urgent need of security. We should make our properties and ourselves available for searches. We should participate in collective risk management.
2. Political and religious alienation
We should not alienate fellow citizens on the basis of their political and religious beliefs. We should never create an environment where terrorism can take root. We should never blame a religion or group in the name of terrorism, as this will bring success to the terrorists.
3. Citizen Soilders
The greatest source for dealing with the challenges of terror is the citizens outside government. They are the one who can tell -who the extremists are; where they live-. Involvement of all peace loving citizens, irrespective of caste, colour and creed is the need of the hour to fight terrorism. By involvement I mean 'state of alertness' and penchant for smelling rat 24 hours, wherever one is.
We need to draw them into volunteering and speaking.
GOVERNMENT
4. Training on counter-terrorism to the forces.
Adequate training on counter-terrorism for Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, and Defense Security Corps).
5. A central agency to tackle terrorism
A central agency with extensive powers similar to IB and RAW with roots in all states should be created to tackle terrorism. They should have substantial presence in the states near our borders.
