TERRORISM/NAXALISM AND THEIR IMPACT ON

OUR COUNTRY’S GROWTH

Prepared by:

Avinash Kumar Thakur

DIT,Dehradun

What is terrorism???

A common definition of terrorism is the systematic use or threatened use of violence to intimidate a population or government and thereby effect political, religious, or ideological change.

Terrorism in India are basically two types external and internal, external terrorism emerge from neighboring countries and internal terrorism emulates from religious or communal violence and Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. Terror activities involve either Indian or foreign citizens.

The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Central India(Naxalism) and the Seven sister states(independence and autonomy movements).

Terrorism in India has often been alleged to be sponsored by Pakistan. At least 232 of the country’s 608 districts were afflicted, at differing

intensities, by terrorism. Over a period of time terrorism has severely affected Indian economy. 

A look at the very elementary picture of terrorism reveals certain things:

1. A handful of immensely wealthy, influential and powerful people provide the leadership. In many instances they lead a justifiable movement. In an equal number of instances they have a personal axe to grind in the garb of mass movement. Some of them are prepared to come out and discuss their grievances. Others prefer to remain away from the public eye.

2. The foot soldiers are almost invariably youth of impressionable minds. It is also commonly seen that they come from ordinary or poor families.

Favourable conditions for rise of terrorism:

Lack of Education for moral/social values Poverty and Unemployment Religious fanaticism propagated for political gains. A feeling among a certain class of people, resulted due to constant political alienation, that they are not a part of the main stream.

NAXALISM - THE BIGGEST SECURITY THREAT TO INDIAThe Naxalites has been identified as the biggest internal security threat to India by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The terms Naxalites or Maoists are used to refer to militant far-left radical  Communist groups operating in India. Inspired by the doctrines of Mao Zedong,  Naxalites work to overthrow the government and upper classes by violence. The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) describes the objectives of Naxalites as destroying “state legitimacy…with the ultimate object of attaining political power by violent means”.  They are considered as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of India (1967). The movement started in West Bengal in the early seventies but has since spread to the rural areas in central and eastern India. The MHA notes that Naxalites attach themselves to civil society and front organisations on issues such as displacement, land reforms and acquisition where they can increase their mass support. Naxalites have been attacking police establishments and infrastructures such as public transportation, causing insecurity and instability to the area.

Main causes

Inequality in Justice - There are so many Jassica Lal - Manu Sharma cases which we don't even know about. Their family, friends are easily attracted to naxalism for instant justice.

Social inequality - Caste, creed, tribe, sub-region, etc

Economic instability, inequality  and Unemployment. Forceful land acquisition, and

eviction of tribal population from theirancestral lands .

Lack of education Lack of basic amenities.

Effects

Tourism of an economy slides to the negative scale due to intimidation.

Agricultural Production of an economy is greatly affected

There is a Direct Human and Military loss Share Markets and GDP gradually are shown the

way down Loss of Population or manpower will decrease the

working population of the nation which is a great loss.

The social effects are to leave people poor, starving, homeless, without family members and often without jobs.

Impact of Terrorism on Indian Economy

Terrorist attacks has left its footprints especially on three industries-tourism, hospitality and medical.

It has also increased the cost of security especially on land and sea borders. Big and reputed Companies of India has also demanded for "Z" security.

Tourism sector has come to stake- be it International or domestic. Clients have cancelled their tours by 25-35% because of security reasons which has directly hit the Aviation and Hotel industry.

These attacks will affect India not only domestically rather globally as most of its business comes from outside India. The target attack on foreigners will have a incalculable impact on Investment climate as well affecting the financial market of India.

Foreign capital investment due to this reason in our country has been adversely affected.

Impact of Terrorism on Tourism Industry in India

Terror attacks continuously in the last decade have come as a whammy for India's Tourism and Hospitality industry.

We can see now that the most famous tourists places in India are having lonely roads with very few tourists all round .Goa Tourism has lost almost half of its tourists. Travel advisories have put a warning of a high terrorist threat throughout India and especially the attacks on the luxurious hotels have added to the negative impact .Hotel Industry is viewing a large dip in revenue .Hospitality industry has been hit harder, especially after 26/11 attacks.

Even the domestic tourism has slowed down . Even the aviation industry are in for a rough ride ahead with

decrease in trips by overseas visitors. Drop in the tourists will take away a good chunk of seasonal income .

Situation is grim for the industry , which will have its impact on gross domestic product of our country.

Terrorism and Stock Market

It has been viewed that financial markets are directly or indirectly the victims of Terrorist attacks .It has been found that attacks in countries which are wealthier and more democratic are associated with larger negative share price reactions.

Also, human capital loss such as kidnappings of company executives are associated with larger negative stock reactions than physical loss such as bombings on buildings. 

It can be concluded that when the return deviation is large and statically significant, the market saw the events as important.

On the global platform, it has added a lot of volatility to the market. Whenever there is a lot of uncertainty (and the threat of terrorism does that easily), it creates a lot of risk aversion, which has a lot of negative effects on the economy such as less investment, less spending, and less risk-taking.

Steps taken by our government

Modernizing the Police Force 

Government has launched a Police Modernization Scheme in areas affected by Naxal movements. Under this scheme huge sums of money have been provided to the state governments by the central government to modernize their equipment and tactical gear including latest communication, vehicles and infrastructure facility.

Central Para Military Forces have been deployed on a long term basis by the government to help the state governments to fight against the Naxals.

Special information sharing cells have been established.

Use of unmanned air vehicles are also in considerations.

States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will share information and coordinate with one another in adjoining border areas (to stop the Naxals from escaping across the borders after launching attacks).

The Jharkhand government is setting up a state industrial security force on the lines of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to protect industries as the Naxalites (who operate in 18 of the 24 districts in the state) often destroy equipment of business establishments if they are not given extortion money.

The Orissa State government will be getting 10000 extra personnel for fighting the Naxals – long term deployment of two battalions of CRPF in Orissa and an additional five India Reserve Battalions.

In Tamil Nadu, a 10-day guerilla warfare training programme has begun for 320 cops in the seven districts falling under the Central Zone. The commandos of the elite STF will provide specialised training such as (1) sophisticated arms training (2) combing operations in reserve forests (3) setting up of temporary tents and bunkers to the 320 cops.

Kerala is now surveying labourers from other states as the Maoists are using the state as a hide-out.

The Maharashtra government and the state police is setting up with a special force. While the Centre has ruled out deployment of the Army as the forces’ hands are already full,

the government has the following plans: The central government will be investing Rs 500-crore to fight the Naxals. This money will be used to provide (1) critical mobility to the police (2) secure

camping grounds and helipads at strategic locations, (3) build basic roads for the forces so they have mobility in otherwise inaccessible areas.

India’s Interior Ministry has set up an anti-rebel cell to ensure periodic review and close monitoring of rebel activities.

Solution to terrorism

Military strategy

Modern, counter terrorism equipment and technology should be provided to our security personals.

Modernise state Police and Para Military Forces in training and ethos.

Modernise and enlarge intelligence networks Arrested culprits should be immediately brought to justice

through special courts and investigation agency.

 Political will to fight

Bring in very strict anti terror laws. Anti terror cases should be dealt with efficiency and

utmost urgency. Hate speeches should be banned. Any sort of Politics over terrorism should be banned

and adequate legislation should be brought in for it. Should do away with any sort of political

appeasement. Adopt proactive policies to confront the terrorists

militarily, and at the roots of terrorist ideology – fundamentalists, social evils and sources of terrorism e.g. narcotics / drug trade.

Economic strategy

Freeze accounts of all groups and organization which support terrorism directly or by indirect involvement to choke them out of finances.

Look out for strategies which involves overall development of the country and special emphasis should be given to backward regions.

Locate some of the Public Sector Units in the remote areas even if they are non-profit making.

Reduce Poverty & Unemployment.

Diplomatic Strategy

International terrorism cannot effectively be fought alone, as has been our experience so far

Should make treaties with other countries for information exchange regarding terrorism.

Pakistan sponsored ‘proxy’ war must be exposed and international pressure applied. We must highlight more aggressively, the justness of our cause and the support to terrorism by Pakistan, both through state and non-state players, as well as strive to isolate Pakistan in the international community. 

Social Environment

Promote moderate and secular polity by media, intelligentsia and religious institutions.

We should thrive for all round integrated development. Reduce demographic displacement resulting in social /

ethnic tension such as in Assam and Tripura, through the joint development of sensitive border belts along Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Policies which aim to increase national integration and bringing in of the marginalized sections into the main stream should be undertaken with greater efficiency.

There should be realistic psychological and information warfare so that the will of the anti-national elements is suffocated and the hearts of the populace are won.

Improve Education on moral/social values.

We have to keep in mind, that until we cure the reason behind the fever, which is just a symptom, the condition might only be controlled for a short while and it might escalate again. A long-term strategy is required to counter terrorism. We have to understand the reasons behind the terrorism, and cure it from its roots. Because terrorism cannot be generally won over by violence, and if it is done there will be unprecedented bloodshed. We will never want that to happen, because after all, most of the terrorists in India are our own citizens who have taken arms because of brain washing and fanatic propagandas.

Ultimately, the roots of terrorism have to be removed through good governance. Political corruption and lack of good governance is a basic contributor to frustration setting in into a society, which is then exploited by unfriendly nations. Needless to say, this has to be addressed immediately by striving to achieve economic well-being, social justice and political aspirations of the populace.

Solution to naxalism

The government has proposed a three-pronged strategy to combat Naxalism: Gain confidence of local people by taking up more welfare

related activities. Build up infrastructure in naxal-affected areas and generate

employment. Launch joint security operations with neighboring states to

eliminate left wing extremists.

Political will

First of all we should have the political will to eradicate it from its roots.

One obvious but less discussed reason for ever increasing impact of naxals, is that the people sitting in power lack political will to act against them for their opportunist political gains.

Political dialogue should be initiated with the naxals.

Development

Government must treat this problem as National Problem. Planning and monitoring should be made at central level but implementation should be made at state level. Of course, in some cases, it should be handed over to Border Road Organisation and other paramilitary forces.

Provide good health facilities for the tribal living in these area.

Improve education facility for children belonging to the naxal affected areas.

Improve land reforms in these areas. Government should give more financial support to

these areas.

Law and order

Ensure the safety of the civilians by stopping campaigns like the Salwa Judum campaign and ensuring that no counter insurgency measures are taken by risking the lives of the civilians.

Checking instances of human rights violation by the security forces and the Salwa Judum.

Registering the crimes perpetrated by the security forces, Salwa Judum and the Maoists and bringing them to justice.

Banning of Bal Mandal (The child division of Naxalites) with immediate effect.

Ensuring safety of those who surrendered and those who lived in camps or were related with Salwa Judum activities

Employment and Self-employment : Keeping in mind the local tradition and culture, small scale industries should be developed. Active naxalite leaders may be encouraged to start industries.

Huge gap between the rich and the poor should be dealt with in an efficient manner.  This is a strong subject they use in their training to compare the lives of the rich and the poor.

Responsible Media: Media can play big role in creating awareness regarding schemes and good work done by local public and honest officials

Using force against the tribal to deter them from joining the Naxals has and will backfire against the government. The government should ensure peace in these areas so that these people don't suffer more than they already have and this can be done only if the government takes proactive measures so as to ensure social justice and inclusive growth for the benefit of the marginalized sections.

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam believes a solution to the Naxalite problem may lie in land reform and expeditious implementation of sustainable development in these tribal areas through the system called PURA -- Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas.

Conclusion

War against terrorism cannot be won by armed resistance only.

We have to understand it’s root cause and try to solve the problems.

Dialogues should be initiated and correct political approach is must.

However, whatever comes our way, we should never undermine and compromise our national pride, integrity and territory.

Remembering those who sacrificed their lives for our safety.

JAI HIND