Threats To Internal Security

Internal security issues in the country are as follows:

(a) Naxalism & Left-wing Extremism (LWE)

Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is widely recognised as one of the most serious security threats in post-independence India.

The Left Wing Extremism (LWE) scenario, while remaining an area of concern for internal security of the country has shown a significant improvement in recent years. There has been an overall 50.2 percent reduction in violent incidents (12,598 to 6,275) and 66 percent reduction (4,961 to 1,687) in LWE related deaths in the period May 2014-Oct 2021 as compared to the preceding period. There has been a 64 percent reduction (3,445 to 1,237) in casualties to Security Force personnel.

The improvement in LWE scenario can be attributed to greater presence and increased capacity of the Security Forces across LWE affected States, better operational strategy and better monitoring of development schemes in affected areas.

(b) Insurgency in the North Eastern States

North East India is the only expanse in South Asia which is geographically and strategically encircled by Nepal, China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. It is connected to the Indian hinterland by a narrow piece of land, namely the ‘Siliguri Corridor’ in West Bengal.

• This region has over 200 ethnic groups with their own language, dialects and socio-cultural identities.
• The security situation in the North Eastern States has improved substantially since 2014. The last six years have seen a significant decline in insurgency incidents by 70%, casualties of security forces personnel by 78% and civilian deaths by 80% in the region.
• The year 2019 recorded the lowest insurgency incidents and casualties among civilians and security forces during the last two decades since 1997. There has been a huge reduction of 71% in Security Forces (SF) deaths (2018-14, 2019-4) and 9% in civilian deaths (2018-23, 2019-21) in 2019.
• While the States of Tripura, Sikkim and Mizoram are completely free from insurgency, there is a marked improvement in security situation in other States of the region. In 2019, insurgency related violence declined by 87% in Meghalaya, 39% in Assam, 3% in Arunachal Pradesh and 1% in Manipur as compared to 2018.

(c) Terrorism

• Terrorism in India has become a home-grown phenomenon. Mumbai bomb blasts in 1993, Coimbatore bomb blasts in 1998, Delhi bomb blasts in 2005, Varanasi bomb blasts in 2006, Malegaon bomb blasts in 2006, Hyderabad bomb blasts in 2007 and Mumbai terror attack in 2008, recent attack on Uri, Pathankot, Gurudaspur are few of the examples of the terror attacks in India.

(d) Organised Gangs

India has organized crime syndicates like the mafia gangs of Mumbai whose sole aim is to amass wealth by spreading terror posing a threat to internal security.

• The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act of 1999 (MCOCA) defines organized crime as any continuing unlawful activity by an individual, singly or jointly, either as a member of an organised crime syndicate or on behalf of such syndicate, by use of violence or threat of violence or intimidation or coercion, or other unlawful means, with the objective of gaining pecuniary benefits, or gaining undue economic or other advantage for himself or any other person or promoting insurgency.

(e) Communal Problem

India has seen several communal riots and form beginning with the Hindu-Muslim violence in the pre-Partitioned India to Sikh-Muslim riots during partition to anti-Christian and anti-Hindu violence.