Un-Civil Defence

Terrorism has finally struck at the soul of our country. Middle-class India is now wary of frequenting crowded marketplaces, evening-show movies and the like. The comparison most of us make is with the absence of terror-strikes in post-9/11 U.S. and our shameful track-record on the subject. A cursory look at the machinery that is responsible for our internal security will reveal why it should surprise none.

- The country's internal security is largely in the hands of a "coveted" cadre of cops drawn in from the Indian Police Services (IPS). Most of them opt for this service after having failed to make it to more lucrative/prestigious forms of civil services and many spend the first 2 years of their career re-appearing for the same exam in the hope of escaping from the torturuous rigmarole of chasing criminals in the middle of the night or queling rioteers. Given the nature of the civil services entrance process, they typically tend to have a pronounced academic bent and most of them are far more comfortable with Leo Tolstoy's "War & Peace" as opposed to Kalashnikovs (a lot of them turn to literary pursuits post retirement!). To expect folks of this genre to either develop an overnight sense of comfort with armed combat or a deep sense of commitment to the nation's battle against terrorism (when they normally harbour overt frustration at not having made it to civil administration) is a little far-fetched.

- Battling terrorism succesfully is dependent heavily on intelligence gathering. The country's intelligence network largely rests on 2 agencies- RAW and IB. I recently read a shoddily written but factually revealing book on RAW by an ex-serviceman. What is abundantly clear is that the 2 organisations revel in working at cross-purposes and focus singularly on one-upmanship with the political dispensation. Further, postings in these organisations often tend to be driven by a personal need to stay in Delhi as opposed to either commitment to internal security or domain expertise at intelligence. These internal conflicts are legion even within the CIA & FBI but 9/11 forced them to close ranks. Alas, a string of terror strikes seem to have contributed to nothing similar in our country. Intelligence gathering is dependent on trust and relationship developed with "sources" over several years and the deputation-driven musical chairs arrangement does not facilitate this.

I believe its not too late to invest in a system that should correct this in the long-term:

1. The IPS should be de-linked from the traditional civil services route. We should have a Police Academy on the lines of the National Defence Academy which should draw upon committed youngsters, preferably at under-graduate level and provide them with specialised training for 3-4 years. Like with the NDA, various streams of specialisation can be evolved- crime, intelligence, district administration and the like.

2. In the short-term, the Police Services should import specialists from the army in select crack outfits for combat and intelligence. There are several talented defence personnel who may not be able to climb the ladder within defence ranks given exalted medical requirements. However, they are certain to add a lot more value to the civilian security establishment than the current system permits. Believe it or not, RAW has folks from the Forest and Income Tax services deputed for external intelligence but defence personnel (when deputed) get relegated to telecommuncations and the like!

3 days ago, I expressed my admiration for the MOSSAD to a former CBI-chief I bumped into at at a bar. He reciprocated it and went on to mention how he was surprised when the MOSSAD chief called him to dinner when he was on an "undercover" trip to Israel. I thought it was a telling reflection on the state of affairs in our country.