INTERNAL SECURITY IN INDIA: THREAT PERCEPTION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

Contrary to what is commonly believed, the Indian state and its citizens are seriously threatened by internal security challenges. India has had a mixed history handling the myriad internal security concerns it has faced. No other nation has, arguably, ever confronted as many different internal security threats, in different shapes and intensities, as the Indian state. Although the perceived threat from internal security issues has diminished over the past few years, they nonetheless persist. This paper critically engages with the current internal security difficulties that the Indian state faces in light of the urgency of the situation. In doing doing, the article illustrates the nature and the degree of danger perception as well as the basic method by which each of these internal security risks operates. The research also assesses the state responses to the internal security challenges by offering a conceptual framework. The study restricts its focus to four primary internal security concerns in India: Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), violent conflicts in the Northeastern states, separatism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and intergroup conflict and religious radicalization.