Time to streamline anti-Naxal ops

Two Central ministries, ministry of defence (MoD) and ministry of home affairs (MHA), are engaged in a nasty war of words over an incident involving Indian Air Force personnel during an anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh.

An IAF Mi-17 that was providing logistical support to the police was brought down by Naxal fire. The MHA lashed out at the “cowardice” of the IAF personnel who, reportedly chose to abandon the machine and the wounded man where the chopper landed and flee to the nearest camp. The rescue party and reinforcements reached the spot three hours later.

The IAF also came under fire because its personnel did not bother to leave behind its commandos to guard the chopper and the injured cop — leaving the machine and its load of weapons unguarded in the Naxal-infested territory for three long hours.

The Air Force, in its defence, said the blame lay on the state’s police which did not ‘sanitise’ the area near their camp.

While the blame game continues and respective departmental inquiries are on, the uncomfortable issue of (and the ambiguity regarding) the role of the armed forces in anti-Naxal operations has raised its head.

The MoD had earlier declared that its personnel (read IAF) can return fire if fired upon by the Maoists guerrillas. It has not emerged clearly why the armed helicopter, with highly trained commandos on board, could not respond to the attack and went down.

The IAF personnel, before scramming, left an LMG and a pistol with the wounded policeman — how noble!

May be, in that condition, he was supposed to do a Rambo and mow down any possible Naxal assault team.

Now, imagine a scenario if the chopper crew had decided to hold their position. No matter what their training, the sheer numerical superiority of a Naxal party would have overwhelmed them. The result would be that other IAF teams would tend to get trigger-happy, raising the possibilities of civilian casualties. In an area where human intelligence is minimal and terrain preventing easy distinguishing of Naxal patrols and foraging tribals, this would have serious consequences.

There is also the issue of setting up Army camps and training sessions in Naxal strongholds. True, a sovereign country will not be dictated by presence of guerrilla groups when it comes to training and deployment of its forces. Though there has been no untoward incident so far, there is a high probability of the Army getting dragged into the conflict.

The Naxals are no fools to attack army personnel or camps and bring on themselves the wrath of a well-trained and heavily-armed force. However, if a communication gap or a case of mistaken identity results in such an attack – and casualties – things are going to get ugly.

The Army would get involved in the direct action and soon the conflict would snowball into a full-fledged civil war. And when such a conflict takes place it always tends to take a heavy toll on lives (uniformed and civilian) and scars the region’s psyche — and that is something nobody wants.

The government agencies should shake off their lethargy and revisit standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that the forces (police and the military) are in a better position to deal with delicate situations like the one faced by the IAF personnel in Chhattisgarh.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on February 6, 2013.)

NCTC split will cripple counter-terror ops

‘United to protect’ is the motto of the National Counterterrorism Center of the United States which was formed in 2003 to co-ordinate national and international counter-terrorism efforts of the country in the wake of 9/11.
However, ‘united’ would be an oxymoron if used in the motto for its Indian counterpart of the same name — thanks to the states which put their ‘autonomy’ before a threat that does not discriminate between the Union or states.
The contention of the states is that a Central body that operates independently and to which all official machinery of the states have to extend co-operation is an infringement on their longstanding monopoly on the ‘law and order’ segment. In their rush to preserve their autonomy, the states are forgetting that trying to put terrorism under law and order is like trying to control a tyrannosaurus rex with a dog leash.
Whether the ever-politically-correct intelligentsia of the country agrees to call them terrorists or not, we are faced with dozens of forms of terrorism across the country.
From the Maoists who have killed thousands of civilians and security personnel to religious/ cultural fundamentalists who kill, maim and strip people of their dignity, the population is being subject to terrorism that takes away the Constitution-guaranteed rights of the citizens.
Over the years, the states have shown a continuing trend of forgetting the bigger picture of national security and giving in to populism — usually based on vote-bank politics.
Though the activists who campaign against death penalty may differ, the sheer lack of political cojones to execute terrorists who have been convicted of role in plots to assassinate national/ state leaders and facilitating attack on Parliament may die of old age if the present indecisiveness continues.
If it is coalition concerns from the south that extends life for some, it’s minority vote bank that proves the saviour for another, a third is being kept alive owing to resurgence in his community’s new-found belief in his innocence.
One way or the other, regional sentiments have proven detrimental to sending out a clear message on perpetrators of terrorism. Despite national counter-terror and investigation agencies unearthing evidence of Hidutva outfits in terror attacks, the political leaders are too scared to call it ‘saffron terror’ for fear of alienating their vote bank. The lack of spine to call a spade a spade is an inherent disgusting feature of our leaders who are more concerned about attaining and sustaining power than national interests.
After the 26/11 attacks the country’s security apparatus went into an overhaul, especially the coastal security. In a recently-held security drill to test the preparedness of the system, three ‘terrorist teams’ managed to evade all the preventive mechanisms and reach their ‘targets’. This clearly shows that we have miles to go before claiming to have a foolproof system in place.
One major reason for the limited success of counter-terror measures is the time lost in the maze of procedures and clearances. When more parties are involved in intelligence sharing, the likelihood of leaks and failed operations too increase.
For example, Maoists have deeply penetrated several states’ administrative cadre and police forces. If information on planned operations is shared with the administration in advance, the result would be jeopardising the mission with the inevitable result of massive loss of life for the security forces.
Across the world, the security interests of the country are given priority over the autonomy of the federating units and it should be no different in the case of India too. The current rebellion of dissenting chief ministers is like limbs seeking a consultative process on action when someone’s about to smash the head.
(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on April 18, 2012)

Uncle Sam roars at terror, India purrs

The US announcement of $10 million bounty on Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafeez Sayeed has sent the entire Indian government, security and diplomatic circles into an applause overdrive. Little time was lost in appreciating the US gesture while reiterating New Delhi’s demand to Pakistan to bring the mastermind of 26/11 attacks to justice.
However, India’s reaction and subsequent rhetoric from various quarters resembles a kitten baring its claws in the shadow of a roaring lion and expecting to generate equal amount of awe.
Global diplomatic circles and definitely Pakistan are not fooled by the Indian sabre rattling. India has an abysmal record of following up its threats of punitive action and retaliation.
This was last evident when Pakistani terrorists attacked the Parliament in 2001. India mounted its biggest ever mobilisation, termed Operation Parakram, threatening to react with force if Pakistan did not rein in the terror operatives.
However, India chickened out in the face of Pakistani threat of first use of nuclear weapons. The massive operation which saw almost half-a-million troops and war equipment moved to forward offensive positions fizzled out — the balance sheet was thousands of crores wasted, several lives lost in accidents and loss of face in front of the international community.
More than a decade has passed and there has been no dearth of Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks on Indian soil. India has been liberally handing out warnings and threats at each occasion — hot pursuit a favourite phrase.
Even on this doctrine, the Indian establishment has not been able to speak in one voice. When a General talks about targeting militant camps across the border, the bureaucratic and political leadership openly declare their commitment to self-restraint.
The ultimate result of lack of political will to pursue the country’s national interests is that neither Pakistan nor the terrorists groups it nurtures take India seriously. And we have an inglorious legacy of letting every terrorist group to slaughter and walk away with impunity.
The chiefs of all Pakistan-based terrorist outfits have been travelling all over Middle East raising funds and the super-secretive RAW’s operatives have not even plucked a hair of any one of them.
Indian public could watch only with helplessness when Dawood Ibrahim and his confidants, who engineered the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, were seen LIVE on TV cheering during a Sharjah Cup match. This was at a time when Indian sleuths and international agencies such as the Interpol were following every procedure in the book to get him extradited (if they could locate him in the first place) for crimes committed in India.
No country allows terrorists to mess with it and walk away unscathed. After 9/11, the Americans launched a global war on terror and did not rest till Osama bin Laden was killed. The Russians, the French, the British and the Israelis go to any extent to seek and destroy the elements who threaten national security.
However, India is content with cumbersome procedures and strict adherence to international covenants, and that too in a complacent manner which would make the techniques of the 19th century Congress moderates look like militant nationalists.
After begging all over the world for information and extraditions, our result is always blank. India’s ‘most wanted’ criminals and terrorist operatives continue to ply their trade without any interruption. At times one can’t help but wonder if our government is waiting for god to punish them.
For all the touting of our military might and the elite special forces, we remain toothless by choice while the enemies of the country continue to bleed us through a thousand wounds.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on April 4, 2012)

Why I wouldn’t cry for the clan of the Tiger

The Rajya Sabha was yesterday forced to adjourn after the DMK and the AIADMK created a ruckus over a recently released footage of LTTE chief Prabhakaran’s 12-year-old son, who was allegedly executed by the Lankan army in the concluding phase of the civil war. They wanted India to take a pro-active stand against Sri Lanka over the alleged war crimes that took place.
While there is no justification of the murder of a boy who wasn’t even an adolescent, the gory fate of Prabhakaran and his kin were sealed when the rebel chief embarked on his inglorious path of ruthless violence for his cause.
From a small-time militant activist who shot to fame (or notoriety) with the assassination of the mayor of Jaffna in 1975, Prabhakaran grew into a megalomaniac warlord who dealt with dissent through brutal killing of his opponents and their families.
The LTTE chief did not believe in sharing ‘revolutionary’ space with any other organisation and systematically annihilated all other outfits. Tamil organisations based in the US and Europe allege that more Tamils have been killed by the LTTE than by the Sri Lankan army and Sinhalese violence put together.
In making its presence felt, the LTTE employed methods that would put world’s most infamous dictators to shame. The Tigers never had any qualms in attacking the civilian population and they never spared women, aged or children.
Thousands of civilians — a substantial chunk of them women and children —have been clubbed, axed, stabbed and shot by the Tigers to enforce their reign of terror and ensure allegiance to the outfit.
Anyone who questioned their methods were tried in Kangaroo courts and were either maimed or executed; even their families were not spared.
For a group that pioneered suicide bombings, which kill scores of civilians along with the intended target, LTTE stood little chance of mercy at the hands of their enemies.
The LTTE also forcibly took away children from their homes and used them as child soldiers and suicide bombers. Bullets will kill whether the hand that pulls the trigger belongs to a 12-year-old or an adult and bitter experience had taught the Lankan forces that hesitation will prove too costly.
Maybe our southern politicos who are crying hoarse over the war crimes of the Lankan army would like to explain the international procedure followed by the LTTE in 1990 when at least 800 Sri Lankan police personnel, who had surrendered on promise of safe passage, were executed.
Or they could try talking to the relatives of the Kattankudy mosque massacre where an LTTE squad mowed down worshippers as they knelt in prayer and lobbed grenades to finish off survivors. About 150 Muslims were killed in the attack.
The commuters at Anuradhapura bus station or the child monks at the nearby shrine were not combatants. Death toll; 150. Any explanations?
Why don’t the regional satraps explain how key state leaders, especially the Congress heavyweights, miraculously escaped the blast that blew Rajiv Gandhi to shreds?
The Rajiv assassination proved counter-productive to the Tigers as it pitted India’s entire machinery against them. Despite a ‘hands off’ policy since then in the island’s internal matters, India clearly switched sides to throw its weight behind the Lankan government — covertly though, owing to ‘regional sensitivities’.
Awash with cash from Tamil diaspora and various businesses across the world, the LTTE ensured that funds flowed to its paid barking dogs in the region, the minor chauvinistic groups who are open in their adulation for the rebels.
Let this be crystal clear. The Tigers were no saints. Their track record on human rights and war crimes would match any dictatorship. Prabhakaran was instrumental in ruthless execution of hundreds of civilians and dissidents — something that would come back to him and his family in an equally gory manner.
Note to the venerated parliamentarians: 
We have a lot of business in the House that is of paramount importance to national interests. Terrorism, corruption, education, food security, national budget, governance, infrastructure and economy are among the key issues that need to be addressed by the elected representatives. Those who want to woo vote banks with eulogies for the slain terrorist and his kin please do that outside the Parliament at their own time. The taxpayer doesn't spend Rs1.5 crore per day to keep the Parliament running to hear paeans to terrorists.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on March 14, 2012)