Internal Security

About Centre

The Centre focuses on issues that challenge India’s internal security. Secessionist movements based on ethnic identities in the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir have been contesting the Indian state through violent means for decades. The Left Wing Extremism movement based on Marxist-Leninist ideology is engaged in a struggle to overthrow the democratic structure of the Indian state. Intermittent terrorist attacks perpetrated by foreign and home grown terrorist groups have been disrupting peace and political order in the country. Infiltration, illegal migration, and trafficking of arms and narcotics are not only breaching the country’s international borders but are also aggravating its security situation. The research efforts of the Centre are focused on analysing the trends, patterns, causes, and implications of these threats and challenges, and suggesting policy alternatives. The Centre’s research agenda includes: left wing extremism, insurgencies in the Northeast India, cross border terrorism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, global and national trends in terrorism, management of India’s international borders and security of its coasts.

The Centre also undertakes various projects entrusted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Security Council Secretariat on matters internal security. The Centre has a mix of civilian scholars and officers deputed from the armed forces and central armed police forces.

The Centre has a bilateral agreement to collaborate with the Border Security Forces’ Institute for Border Management and Strategic Studies.

The Hard Lesson of Chintalnar

The hard lesson of Chintalnar is that the police are simply not investing enough in their frontline leadership and training to tackle the situation. Even when attempts have been made to bring in competence, the efforts to acquire required counterinsurgency skills have been marginal.

Anti-Naxal Operations: Employment of Armed Forces

Whereas employing Armed Forces may appear to be an attractive idea to control the naxal menace, the adverse effects of their long term commitment, particularly of the Army, need to be understood.

Rumel Dahiya
May 04, 2010
Issue Brief

Maoists in Delhi: Is the Police Prepared?

The Maoists have formed a State Committee comprising six members to spearhead the movement in Delhi, and it has been in operation at least for the past four to five years.

Maoist Challenge: The Party shall be over!

The sate and the people should be prepared for a few more Dantewada-like ‘shocks’ before the tables are eventually turned on the Maoists.

P. V. Ramana
April 13, 2010
IDSA Comments

Tackling Naxalism: Post-Dantewada

If naxal activities have to be stopped, the government must act firmly even if they have to be neutralized by the selective use of the armed forces including the Indian Air Force.

K C Dixit
April 08, 2010
IDSA Comments

An Assessment of Insurgencies in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in 2009

The North East of India has been plagued by insurgencies since independence in 1947. Most violent amongst the armed movements had been the Naga National Council in the 1950s and today the NSCN (IM).

Namrata Goswami
April 05, 2010
Issue Brief

The Naxal Muddle – of Intellectual Haze, Governmental Clarity and Operational Realities

The Naxal challenge is a wake up call to rejig our internal security instruments and restore their organizational ethos, autonomy and operational credibility.

Raj Shukla
March 09, 2010
IDSA Comments

Securing India at the Gates

Instead of beefing up army/police/paramilitary forces in the towns and cities, the government needs to urgently take measures to prevent entry of the criminal and terrorist elements at or close to the border.

Ramesh Phadke
December 22, 2009
IDSA Comments

Small States: Potential Maoist Strongholds

From the security point of view, it might not be prudent to carve out states from Maoist affected regions without adequately preparing the administrative and security apparatus.

P. V. Ramana
December 17, 2009
IDSA Comments

India can learn from the US experience in securing its borders

India faces risks at its borders even more severe than those faced by the United States. Indian authorities would benefit by studying the US methodologies and experience and drawing appropriate lessons.