Bharat’s Internal Security Needs Comprehensive Revamp

Critical infrastructures are assets whose disruption could jeopardise the nation’s economy, security, or public welfare. Beyond railways and airlines, this includes bus terminals, waterways, power grids, telecommunications, and educational institutions

Is Bharat’s “Internal Security Architecture” ready to counter the fifth-generation warfare unleashed by global powers? This warfare manifested in multiple forms, be it through demographic manipulation, spreading anarchy through violent protests, misusing freedom & human rights, developing & deploying biased media & social media influencers and leveraging funds from foreign and domestic non-government organisations- the answer, unfortunately, is no!

Pathikrit Payne, a “strategic & security analyst deeply engaged with Bharat’s internal affairs and economic policies, emphasised the urgency of revamping Bharat’s “Internal Security Architecture” during the Jaipur Dialogues Summit 2024. He underscored the need to safeguard the nation’s strategic infrastructure and demographic integrity from external aggression that exploits internal fault lines.

According to Payne, “dimensions of internal conflict” are “undergoing constant shift” where disruptive elements leverage protests and unrest to destabilise Bharat.

Instances such as the farmer protests, where demonstrators disrespected the National Flag at the Red Fort, and a follow-up act of vandalism of trains and railway stations during the Agnipath protest were attempts at forcing the government to take harsh security measures leading to casualties.

The rise in hoax bomb threats to airlines—exceeding 1,000 incidents in 2024 alone—is aimed at straining Bharat by targeting its critical infrastructure and economic activities. These actions are not isolated but part of a calculated strategy to create internal anarchy, forcing democratically elected governments to respond with measures that could lead to casualties. These casualties could then be exploited to fuel further protests, creating a cycle of unrest that hinders national growth and development. This mindset underscores a strategic pattern behind such disruptions, aiming to erode institutional stability and exploit societal tensions for broader political or ideological gains.

Payne, highlighting a critical gap in internal security rules, argues that anarchists and their handlers have repeatedly evaded accountability by exploiting the lack of a clearly defined framework for internal security rules of engagement in India.

While there are well-established measures to counter external aggression, there is no comprehensive legal mechanism to address threats from internal actors, particularly those who gather to create havoc and damage critical infrastructure. These deliberate acts, aimed at disrupting economic activity and destabilising the nation, pose a growing challenge to Bharat’s growth and development.

Critical infrastructures are assets whose disruption could jeopardise the nation’s economy, security, or public welfare. Beyond railways and airlines, this includes bus terminals, waterways, power grids, telecommunications, and educational institutions.

Pathikrit underscores that attacks on critical infrastructure, including railways, airlines, and other essential services, lead to significant all-around disruptions. This year, flight and railway schedules have been thrown into disarray, causing delays, emergency procedures, and cancellations, impacting passengers, operations, and the economy. These disorders resulted in substantial financial losses, encompassing costs for heightened security measures, rescheduling, and operational inefficiencies.

He notes that the broader economic impact of such sabotage “raises operational costs” for key sectors and undermines public confidence in essential services. By targeting critical infrastructure, these actors seek to place the economy and, by extension, the people under stress, thereby creating conditions ripe for destabilising the nation’s internal security.

Thus, Pathikrit strongly advocates that “there is an external dimension to the internal security”. Further, he adds “that internal security is no more an internal issue” as external influences often fuel it.

To address these vulnerabilities, Payne proposes the creation of a “Critical Infrastructure Protection Act” (CIPA) to safeguard the nation’s key assets during internal conflicts.

The proposed act should, with parliamentary approval, clearly define the critical infrastructure essential for Bharat’s stability and economic growth. It must establish specific rules of engagement, enabling the use of proportional force against internal threats, and hold mobs and their supporters accountable for any acts of sabotage or vandalism. Equally important, the act should allocate substantial funds to modernise and restructure India’s “internal security architecture.”This comprehensive approach would create a deterrent effect, instilling fear among potential disruptors and discouraging them from targeting critical assets.

Pathikrit highlights a lesson from China, noting that since 2008-2009, the Chinese government has allocated a higher budget to internal security than defence. Similarly, Bharat must draw from this example to strengthen its internal security framework, which would involve upgrading police forces, enhancing intelligence-gathering capabilities, and modernising institutions responsible for internal security. These measures are critical to countering contemporary threats, including organised crime and attempts to destabilise the nation from within.

The other major threat faced by Bharat is from demographic change taking place through infiltration, especially by Ismalists forces. Pathikrit Payne emphasises the urgent need for a “National Border Policy,” citing his hypothesis that“demography is democracy & demography is destiny.”

The anarchy unleashed across Europe due to mass population shifts serves as a warning to democracies like Bharat. These population shifts, often driven by unregulated migration and refugee crises, have not only strained local resources and governance but also disrupted social harmony and cultural identities. The lessons from Europe highlight how unmanaged demographic changes have undermined the stability of democratic systems, posing risks to national security, economic cohesion, and cultural continuity.

Thus, Payne argues that India must address the cascading challenges posed by the destabilising effects on neighbouring nations such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Myanmar. These crises create ripe conditions for large-scale refugee movements towards India. This unchecked infiltration has already significantly altered the demographic landscape in sensitive regions such as Assam, West Bengal, and other parts of the country where illegal migrants have integrated into local populations, often aided by fraudulent acquisition of identity documents like Aadhaar and driving licenses.

The demographic shifts caused by illegal migration have far-reaching implications, including altering electoral dynamics. Thus, certain political parties that benefit from illegal migrants do support enacting policies that perpetuate and encourage further infiltration. This cycle undermines the nation’s social, cultural, and political fabric. Pathikrit emphasises that India’s border management policies require uniform scrutiny across all international boundaries it shares with its neighbours.

To address these challenges, Pathikrit Payne advocates for stringent laws to deter illegal migration and robust punishment mechanisms for those aiding such activities. He calls for implementing a comprehensive Border Security Act and a Critical Infrastructure Protection Act to establish clear checks and balances. These measures, he argues, are critical to safeguarding India’s demographic stability and national security, ensuring that the country’s borders are effectively managed, and preventing demographic shifts that could jeopardise its democracy and sovereignty.

(The author is Founder of My Startup TV)