India has always been a Pacifist country but has a very unfortunate geography of sharing its boundaries with enemy countries, namely Pakistan and China. Furthermore, they have a bad fortune of fighting 5 wars with these 'not so moral' countries and militaries.

One of the most important aspirations if a State is national security. In the modern ear terrorism has taken to the roots of this country. Terrorism could be defined as the use of violence to promote and inflict terror and fear in a population. Cross-Border Terrorism is a form in which soil of one country is used to create terror in bordering countries.

This paper narrates the different types of terrorist movement throughout India. Right after we got our independence from the Britishers on 15th August 1947. Since the independence Jammu and Kashmir, and some of the North Eastern States have been disputed areas. The period of 1948-1989 was a period which saw a steady rate of terrorism and cross-border terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. The Insurgency in Northeast India just like the terrorism in Kashmir involves Cross-Border Terrorism which is funded by a foreign enemy nation. The Insurgency involves multiple armed separatist factions, many of them backed and funded by China. The Khalistan Movement is a Sikh separatist movement aiming to form a homelands purely for Sikhs called Khalistan. This separatist movements has many terror groups within them but all of them aim for the same, to form Khalistan.

The paper also discusses the counter of terrorism and put emphasis and focuses on the Indian Military (Army, Navy and Air Force) roles in countering terrorism.

The research work is based on the data collected by the secondary sources such as books, article, newspapers, journals, etc. The collection of data has been analysed through suitable techniques at different places.

Terrorism

Definitions of 'terrorism' are usually complex and controversial, and, because of the inherent ferocity and violence of terrorism, the term in its popular usage has developed an intense stigma.

Terrorism could be defined as the use of violence to promote and inflict terror and fear in a population. This act of terror is often committed with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. terrorist incidents. Various definitions of terrorism have been provided over the years by various governmental structures or by various groups, mainly organizations that have in essence respect for human rights or peace in the world.

While terrorist attacks are seen as attacking innocent civilians by violent means, the execution of the attack and the means they use can be interpreted differently. Terrorists' centuries ago, used assassination tactics while terrorists in the modern world used suicide bombers or plant bombs in buildings, etc. "Terrorists want to destabilize society by violent means." Organizations from all over the world, not just the United States have experienced terrorist attacks and have different understandings of what it truly means.

It encompasses a range of complex threats: organized terrorism in conflict zones, foreign terrorist fighters, radicalized 'lone wolves', and attacks using chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive materials.

The ongoing evolution of terrorism also makes it difficult to properly define it. It also does not alleviate the difficulties that there is not a worldwide definition of terrorism that all nations around the world can agree on. Some reasons include that some of these countries are harboring or fundraising terrorist groups like Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan. They do not see the issue with these groups spreading chaos and fear by violent actions.

Terrorist groups incite individuals, often young people, to leave their communities across the world and travel to conflict zones, primarily in Iraq and Syria and increasingly in Libya. The way recruits are targeted and radicalized has shifted, with a greater focus on social media and other digital channels.

Terrorism has been existing for ages and still poses a significant threat to political, social, economic, and stability of not only India but the world.

Much like globalization, Terrorism is a complex and multi-layered entity.

Cross-Border Terrorism

The term 'cross-border' implies a movement or an activity across a border between the two countries. Cross-Border Terrorism is a form in which soil of one country is used to create terror in bordering countries.

When the soil of one country is used to create terror or engage in terrorism against its neighbouring countries across the border for political, religious, or ideological goals, then it is termed as Cross border terrorism. In Cross border terrorism a person of ethnic group illegally enters without the permission of government, with the aim of violence and to create the instability in geographical region.

Cross border terrorism is a conflict that falls in the category of grey zone conflict. It is an undeclared war and considered to be highest form of strategy to bleed a nation for prolonged period by small efforts. It is an asymmetric war strategy employed by an adversary at a point in time when it cannot compete on a traditional battlefield, and adversary looks to where you are vulnerable.

In this war the principle followed by an adversary is to avoid going at the enemy blow by blow, strength against strength since it is considered un-strategic. India has unresolved borders with two of its nuclear neighbours and surrounded by politically, economically and militarily unstable nations. The state and non-state actors have taken advantage of such a scenario to cause military and economic friction to weaken India internally.

There are various reasons responsible for cross border terrorism, these reasons can be strategic location of the place, regional aspiration, radicalism, or climate or economic geology of a place, technological advancement especially in terms of communication links which led to the availability of more sophisticated weapons, cell phones and high speed internet connections to the radical groups, present terrorist groups are more diffused in their structure with increase in their sleeper cells and various local groups state sponsorship to various terrorist organisation and discriminating terrorists organisations as good terrorist and bad terrorists. E.g., good and bad Taliban, extreme sense of fundamentalism and ideological leaning towards fundamental groups, bad governance and deprivation, etc.

For e.g., the cross-border terrorism in North India is guided by the demand of separation especially by Kashmiri people. The cross-border terrorism from Pakistan has radical thinking guided by Islamic Extremist ideology. There are many other factors which gives fire to Cross-Border Terrorism.

Terrorism In India

India got its independence from the Britishers on 15th August 1947. Since the independence Jammu and Kashmir, and some of the North Eastern States have been disputed areas.

Kashmiri Terrorism:

Jammu & Kashmir was a Princely State. After the Indian Independence the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Sir Hari Singh GCSI GCIE GCVO (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was given a choice by the Britishers to either join India or Pakistan, or f form a new state. He was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Maharaja who was a Hindu with the state majority who was of the Muslims were faced with the dilemma of deciding whether to join India/Pakistan.

The Muslim population wanted to join Pakistan. Maharaja Hari decided to remain neutral for the time being but was soon invaded and threatened by Pakistan. Pakistan had sent their irregular ( retired, terminated or on leave Army, Navy and Airforce personals, Paramilitary forces, Gilgit Scouts, Kurram Militia, Frontier Scouts, Pashtun Tribal Militias, Azad Kashmir Irregular Forces, Muslim League National Guards, Swat Army, Furqan Force, etc) to fight and invade Kashmir and overthrow Maharaja Hari Singh.

Seeing the enemy at the gates, Maharaja requested for an assist from India. Maharaja Hari Singh's plea was acknowledged. But India set the condition that Kashmir must accede to India for it to receive assistance. The Maharaja complied, and the Government of India recognised the accession of the princely state to India. Indian troops were sent to the state to defend it. The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference volunteers aided the Indian Army in its campaign to drive out the Paki invaders. The Indian Military was successful in doing so and Jammu and Kashmir was divided with 1/3 region occupied by Pakistan and the other Administered by India.

After 1947 five wars has been fought in Jammu and Kashmir.

The period of 1948-1989 was a period which saw a steady rate of terrorism and cross-border terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. During the Cold War, in 1979 USSR who followed a Communist model invaded Afghanistan, in return of this invasion, USA who followed a Republic model rather than getting into a direct conflict with the Soviet Union started funding and arming the Afghans Mujahideens via Pakistan (Military, Intelligence, Government). After a long and bloody war, and after the disintegration of USSR, the US started withdrawing support and funding to the Afghans and Mujahideens.

After the disintegration and withdrawal of USSR many of the Mujahideens picked up arms now against USA, blaming them of deserting and abandoning them, stopping their funding, etc. The rest of the Mujahideens were assigned by the Pakis to cross the borders of India/Indian Jammu and Kashmir and spread terrorism there and the rest . This resulted in the valley being the hottest it has ever been in the early 1990s, and also the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits.

The valley has been steady in 2000s and with a fair amount of terrorist activities every now or then, but in every case the match was always won by the men in the blue corner.

North-East India:

The North-Eastern Region of India comprises of Eight states, namely : Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The Insurgency in Northeast India just like the terrorism in Kashmir involves Cross-Border Terrorism which is funded by a foreign enemy nation. The Insurgency involves multiple armed separatist factions, many of them backed and funded by China.

Mizoram Insurgency majorly involved tensions due to the simmering Assamese domination and the neglect of the Mizo people. Manipur became a part of The Union of India in 1949. Manipur's incorporation into the Indian state soon led to the formation of a number of insurgent organisations, seeking the creation of an independent state within the borders of Manipur, and dismissing the merger with India as involuntary.

Nagaland was formed in 1963, active Naga-Kuki insurgent groups mainly demand full independence. The Tripura Insurgency emerged at the end of the 1970s, as ethnic tensions between the Bangladeshi infiltration and the tribal native population who were outnumbered by the former, hailing from other parts of India and nearby Bangladesh, which resulted in their being reduced to minority status even threatening them economically, socially, culturally; this resulted in a clarion call for safeguarding tribal rights and cultures.

Assam has been a refuge for militants for a number of years, due to its porous borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan and also due to its very close proximity to Burma. The main causes of the friction include anti-foreigner agitation in the 1980s, and the simmering indigenous-migrant tensions. Meghalaya was separated from the state of Assam and saw the rise of national consciousness among the local tribal populations. In the 2000s, the Insurgency of the North-East has decreased drastically, with many separatist terror groups surrendering, laying up arms and signing peace treaties with the Indian Government.

Khalistani Terrorism:

The Khalistan Movement is a Sikh separatist movement aiming to form a homelands purely for Sikhs called Khalistan. This separatist movements has many terror groups within them but all of them aim for the same, to form Khalistan. This proposed state would consist of land that currently forms Punjab, India and some of the groups even involve Panjabi-speaking regions of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan along with Lahore as its proposed capital. The movement began in 1980s and is supported by Pakistani ISI.

The Khalistan Terrorist Groups caused a widespread attacks and terror activities in the 1980s. In 1984, the Khalistani Terrorist Group under the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhinderwale occupied the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, which is the holiest site for Sikhs. The terrorist inside the Golden Temple were armed with heavy small arms including SLR, Sten guns, Turrets, Light Machine Guns, Anti-Tank Guns, Grenades, RPGs, etc. The Indian Government (Army and Paramilitary Forces) launched Operation Blue Star to flush out and terminate the Khalistani Terrorist and their leader from the Golden Temple. Which resulted in the death of Jarnail Singh Bhinderwale and many Khalistani terrorist. In the 2000s, the Khalistani Terrorism decreased drastically.

Counters Of Terrorism

India has had a wide and deep history of terrorism, with many different regions, different enemies, separation movements, terror groups, etc. With a long history and experience with terrorism, the Indian government has honed its forces to the best of its capabilities in the modern times. India has strengthened its forces and raised many new forces and bodies to counter terrorism.

Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Infiltration and Anti-Cross Border Terrorism are currently being dealt by Governmental and Inter-Governmental forces. Most of these organisations are operational-based forces which captures or kills the enemy. These organisations truly 'counters' terrorism.

The Indian Armed Forces

The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.[1] Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by the Central Armed Police Forces, Assam Rifles, Indian Coast Guard and Special Frontier Force.[2]

India has had a history of warfare. The Indian Military (Army, Navy & Airforce) has fought The First World War (1914–1918) and The Second World War (1939–1945) under the British Rule and right after the independence fought the Indo-Pak War (1947), Indo-Sino War (1962), 2nd Indo-Pak War (1965) and the 3rd Indo-Pak War (1971) also called the 'Bangladesh Liberation War' and the 4th Indo- Pak War (1999). The Indian Military saw success in not only wars but also proved their valour in numerous Anti-Terrorism, Counter-Insurgency, Counter-Terrorism, Cross-Border Surgical Operations, UN Peace Keeping Missions, Disaster Relief Operations, Humanitarian Operations, etc.

There are many internal-military forces that specialises in Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Infiltration and Anti-Cross Border Terrorism.

The Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD) is a tri-service command of the Indian Armed Forces. They have the Special Forces of the 3 branches (Para SF, MARCOS SF, GARUD SF) operating together. The division is tasked to carry out special operations. The AFSOD draws personnel from all three special warfare branches of the Armed Forces. [3]They are responsible for carrying out special operations within and outside India.

The AFSOD functions under the Integrated Defence Staff.

The Indian Army

The Indian Army is committed to bringing down the levels of violence to "manageable levels" so as to restore the confidence of the people and create a secure environment to facilitate smooth governance and socio-economic development[4].

The Indian Army is posted nation-wide and even in some foreign nation. Every soldier of the Indian Military is trained for war and almost every soldier of the Indian Army is trained for wars and proxy, they are trained in Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Infiltration and Anti-Cross Border Terrorism irrespective of their Corps. Every Corps, Regiment and Battalion of the Indian Army gets a tenure in an 'Field' area every 2 or 4 years.

There are many internal-army forces that specialises in Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Infiltration and Anti-Cross Border Terrorism.

The Rashtriya Rifles (RR; transl. National Rifles) is a counter-insurgency force in India, formed in 1990, to specifically serve in the Jammu and Kashmir region[5]. Its personnel are provided by the Indian Army on deputation.

The Indian Army Para Special Forces is an Airborne force raised to operate behind enemy lines, but they also specialises in CI/CT ops. They took part in many Cross-Border Surgical Operations, in Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Infiltration and Anti-Cross Border Terrorism.

The Indian Army deals with terrorism not just by fighting terrorism but also by eradicating the root causes of terrorism, they provide the youth of terror prone areas with jobs, education, resources like medical facilities, etc. Army over the years has established 43 Army Goodwill Schools and rendered assistance to number of State Government run schools in remote areas through renovation, construction of additional class rooms, libraries, toilets, playgrounds, sports facilities, provisioning of furniture, computers, educational software packages, stationary, and books. Approximately one lakh fifty thousand plus students have benefitted in last 22 years wherein they have obtained middle and higher secondary level education.[6]

Indian Navy

The Indian Navy just like the Army has a fair share in wars and proxy. The Indian Navy promises the security of the nation from foreign threats via the water (seas and oceans). In conjunction with other Armed Forces of the union, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against the territory, people or maritime interests of India, both in war and peace;[7] Project influence in India's maritime area of interest, to further the nation's political, economic and security objectives; In co-operation with the Indian Coast Guard, ensure good order and stability in India's maritime zones of responsibility. Provide maritime assistance (including disaster relief) in India's maritime neighbourhood.[8]

The Indian Navy not always have direct contact with terrorists, but they count a huge share in combating terrorism in sea. The modern waters are infested with pirates which terrorises the international waters by performing their piracy attempts.

MARCOS Special Forces (Marine Commandos) are the Special Operations Forces unit of the Indian Navy and is responsible for conducting special operations. MARCOS are capable of fighting terrorist and pirates and operating in all types of environments; at sea, in air and on land. As a specialised force, the MARCOS is responsible for conducting operations at the strategic and the tactical level. MARCO operations are usually conducted in support of naval forces, although MARCOS are also deployed in other domains.[9]

The MARCOS regularly undertake specialised maritime operations in Jammu and Kashmir through the Jhelum River and Wular Lake, a 65 square kilometres (16,000 acres) freshwater lake, and conduct counter-insurgency operations in the region.[10]

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force promises the security of the nation from foreign threats via the air. In conjunction with other Armed Forces of the union, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against the territory, people interests of India, both in war and peace; Project influence in India's maritime area of interest, to further the nation's political, economic and security objectives; In co-operation with the Indian Army ensure good order and stability in India's arial zones of responsibility. Provide arial assistance (including disaster relief) in India's maritime neighbourhood.

Following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the 2019 Pulwama attack that was carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) which killed forty servicemen of the Central Reserve Police Force,[11] a group of twelve Mirage 2000 fighter planes from the Indian Air Force carried out air strikes on alleged JeM bases in Chakothi and Muzaffarabad in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Furthermore, the Mirage 2000s targeted an alleged JeM training camp in Balakot, a town in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan claimed that the Indian aircraft had only dropped bombs in the forest area demolishing pine trees near the Jaba village which is 19 kilometres (12 mi) away from Balakot and Indian officials claimed to bomb and kill a large number of terrorists in the airstrike.[12][13]

There are some branches of the Indian Air Force that specialises in Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Infiltration and Anti-Cross Border Terrorism.

The Garud Special Forces is the special forces unit of the Indian Airforce. Garud forces are tasked with the protection of critical Air Force bases and installations; search and rescue during peace time and hostilities and disaster relief during calamities. They also specialise in Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Infiltration and Anti-Cross Border Terrorism.

Bibliography

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• "Insurgency on decline in North East, tri-junction between Assam, Arunachal and north Nagaland arc of violence: Eastern Army commander-India News , Firstpost". FirstPost. 14 February 2020.
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• "What happened during 1984 Operation Blue Star?". India Today. Retrieved 12 September 2019. Official reports put the number of deaths among the Indian army near about 20,000 and they put the number of civilian deaths at 493, though independent estimates ran much higher.
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• The untold story before Operation Bluestar". India Today. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2021.

End-Notes:

1. "Indian Armed Forces". Know India Portal. NIC, GoI. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
2. "Report My Signal- Professional Matters: The Central Police Forces and State Armed Police". Reportmysignalpm.blogspot.com. 12 July 2011. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
3. Pandit, Rajat (15 May 2019). "Agencies take shape for special operations, space, cyber war". Times News Network. Retrieved 25 September 2019 – via The Times of India.
4. Indian Army Official Website
5. "Rashtriya Rifles". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
6. Army Goodwill School
7. Admiral Arun Prakash (November 2005). "Shaping India's Maritime Strategy – Opportunities and Challenges". Indian Navy. Government of India. Archived from the original on 2 May 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
8. "Vision of the Indian Navy". Indian Navy. Ministry of Defence (Navy). 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
9. INS Abhimanyu | Indian Navy
10. forceindia (18 March 2019). "With added emphasis on Special Forces, the army is set to change the face of war". FORCE. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
11. "India will 'completely isolate' Pakistan". BBC News. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
12. India 'strikes Kashmir militants in Pakistani territory". BBC. BBC. 26 February 2019. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
13. The inside story of IAF's Balakot strike". India Today. 16 March 2019.