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24 Jul 2025
GS Paper 3
Internal Security
Day 34: “A state without internal vigilance is like a fortress with open gates.”In this context, analyze how external state and non-state actors exploit India’s internal social, political, and regional fault lines to undermine national security. (250 words)
Approach:
- Begin with the significance of internal vigilance for national security.
- Analyze how external state and non-state actors exploit India’s internal social, political, and regional fault lines to undermine national security.
- Conclude with a suitable way forward.
Introduction:
National security is not only about defending borders but also about maintaining internal vigilance and harmony. India’s diversity, while a source of strength, presents vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hostile external state actors (e.g., Pakistan’s ISI, Chinese intelligence) and non-state actors (e.g., Lashkar-e-Taiba, ISIS, Khalistani groups) through propaganda, funding, and cyber influence.
Body :
Exploiting Social Fault Lines
- Communal Polarization: Social media campaigns funded by external actors fuel communal tensions, such as during the 2020 Delhi riots, where fake news and inflammatory content were traced to accounts linked to foreign networks.
- Radicalization and Recruitment: ISIS and Al-Qaeda have leveraged encrypted platforms to indoctrinate vulnerable youth, as seen in the Kerala ISIS module arrests (2021).
- Misinformation and Fake News: Pakistan-based cyber cells have amplified narratives on CAA-NRC protests to deepen social divides.
Exploiting Political Fault Lines
- Influence Operations: Disinformation campaigns around elections, such as fake videos during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, were traced to cross-border servers.
- Terror Financing: Pakistan-backed terror funding in Kashmir channels money through hawala and NGOs to support separatist movements.
Exploiting Regional and Ethnic Fault Lines
- Kashmir Insurgency: Pakistan’s ISI continues to infiltrate and fund militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, exemplified by the Pulwama attack (2019).
- Khalistani Resurgence: Diaspora-backed organizations like Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) are exploiting Punjab’s socio-political tensions through online radical campaigns.
- North-East Insurgencies: Cross-border support and arms trafficking via Myanmar and China-backed groups fuel militancy in states like Manipur and Nagaland.
- Manipur Unrest (2023): Disinformation campaigns on social media were reportedly amplified by foreign actors to intensify ethnic clashes.
Way Forward
- Robust Cyber Vigilance: Deploy AI-based tools for monitoring fake news and hostile propaganda through I4C and NCCC, which track cybercrimes and state-sponsored attacks.
- Intelligence Integration: Strengthen NATGRID and MAC to coordinate actionable intelligence, as seen in foiling J&K infiltration attempts (2021–22).
- Inclusive Development: Address alienation via the Aspirational Districts Programme and the PESA Act for tribal empowerment.
- Legal and Regulatory Measures: Enforce UAPA (2019), IT Rules 2021, and counter-terror raids by NIA.
- International Cooperation: Collaborate under FATF, QUAD Cybersecurity, and INTERPOL.
- Counter-Drone Tech: Implement Drone Rules 2021 with AI-enabled anti-drone systems.
Conclusion:
India’s internal security architecture is evolving from a reactive to a predictive and resilient framework, blending technology, intelligence integration, and socio-economic inclusion. However, as global threats shift toward hybrid domains—cyber warfare, disinformation, and terror financing—security must transcend mere militarization and embrace a whole-of-nation approach.
