Some time back Manmohan Singh said that the biggest threat to India’s security is from within not without. And how right he was!!! In the last 1-2 months India has suffered serial bomb blasts by Islamic terrorists and assaults on police by the Naxalites. And we hear nothing but meaningless statements by our politicians about who was behind it (that a no-brainer) and that we will deal with it firmly. But none has the answer to the question - how do they plan to deal with these faceless enemies?
To deal with any enemy you have to understand him. Who is he? Why is he against you? What does he really hope to achieve by hurting you? What gives him strength? What are his weaknesses? Who are his allies and supporters and why are they on his side?
I doubt our government has given a thought to all this. It has only one way of dealing with terrorists and naxalites - our security forces. But only use of force is a counterproductive strategy. And the reason is that the enemy comprises several elements. You must deal with each of them in a different manner. And force must be used only on a select few. I would say the enemy comprises 3 elements - people who have a genuine grievance against you, those who are there for the money and the power and those who really really believe in the ‘cause’ and will stop at nothing to get at you.
1) Those who have some grievance against you (the ‘cause’ is only a mask) – These comprise the majority of your enemy. Maybe you took their land away. Or your security forces killed their near and dear ones. Or looked the other way when goons like Narendra Modi did so. Or maybe they think you discriminate against them in some way or other. Whatever the reason may be the way to tackle them is to reach out to them and try to redress their grievance (whether real or imaginary). Deal firmly with the landlords who exploit the landless. Put the rioters behind bars. Sensitize your security forces to deal with such issues. And more importantly see to it that such events do not happen again. It will ensure more people don’t become terrorists/ naxalites. If you don’t do this more and more people will continue to turn to terrorism. You eliminate a 100. Tomorrow there will be a 1000 more. Also try to see to it that the hardliners don’t get a platform to espouse their cause.
One thing that must be done urgently is to free the security apparatus from the clutches of politicians. This would be the single biggest step towards solving the problem.
2) The mercenaries – They are there for the money. They have nothing else to earn a living. They start with the criminal world and progress into terrorism. They may also sympathize with the ‘cause’. So for them it serves 2 ends. To take care of these people eat away at the incentive they have. Have tough punishments for them in place. Try to improve the employment opportunities and social environment so that lesser people turn into criminals.
3) Those who really believe in the cause – You can’t do much about this type. They have been brainwashed. For them killing you is their only aim in life. The way to deal with them is to isolate them. Wean away the others in their group (types 1 & 2). And when you get them you will have to put them away for good.
We need a far-sighted multi-pronged strategy to tackle this monster that confronts us today.
