India’s Internal Security: The Year That Was, The Year That May Be
India’s internal security situation in 2011 was relatively better than in previous years. The LWE-affected states, Jammu and Kashmir and the North East all experienced declining levels of violence and the hinterland was also relatively free of major terrorist incidents. Will this trend continue in 2012 as well? The steps taken in the last few years to strengthen internal security have started to show positive results. However, the causes of instability have not disappeared, the counter-terrorism mechanism continues to be largely ineffective, the police forces are still highly politicised and incapable of handling terrorists and insurgents, and state governments remain apathetic towards enhancing internal security. To ensure that 2012 also turns out to be a quiet and secure year, New Delhi not only has to consolidate the gains made in 2011 but also undertake new initiatives to address these gaps.
