MONTHLY FEATURE uuu POLICE AND SECURITY uuu DECEMBER, 1993

Dr.S.Subramanian, IPS (Retd.)

The need to protect important places of worship from terrorist attacks; proper utilisation of counter-terrorist specialist forces; the need to have a clear-cut policy on negotiations with terrorists; the inadvisability of calling in Army in civil strife situations; the need to establish an All Party crisis management group at Delhi; and finally, the need for a well structured Media policy to disseminate information to the public during crisis, are the lessons brought out by the Hazaratbal crisis.

In a country of continental dimensions like India, crisis involving politically violent groups will always take place. Prudence dictates that we evolve a coherent and clear cut policy to deal with them drawing on our experience of the recent past. Success at Hazaratbal should not be misconstrued as victory over Militant elements. Let us not gloat over seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but be realistic enough to look for tunnels which lay beyond and prepare ourselves.

The Sacred Relic at Hazaratbal has a unique place in the hearts of Kashmiris on both sides of the border and any harm or desecration to it, will result in mass upheavals and witnessed in 1963. Militants would like to exploit this fact whenever they wish to turn the people against the administration. The need to provide foolproof security to the Holy Relic can not be overemphasised. Well meaning clerics and religious custodians nor a small detachment of local police at the doors of the chamber housing the relic, can provide this. There is need to work out a comprehensive security plan to safeguard the relic. As prevention is better than cure, security measures should be comprehensive to cover screening of all visitors to ensure that none carries weapons, explosives or harmful substances into the shrine; regular anti-sabotage check of the premises are carried out both at the time of opening and closing shrine; daily physical check of the relic by authorised religious personnel are made, etc. Protecting a vulnerable and valuable object is an expert’s job and should be handled by professionals. J & K Police do not possess adequate expertise in this area and BSF and CRPF are likely to kindle dormant local hostilities as both of them have been too long in the thick of the battle with the militants. Therefore, this protective function should be entrusted to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which has the experience of protecting vulnerable and sensitive installations. Representatives of the management committee could be associated with the checks and security drills but the responsibility should solely rest with the CISF.

It is necessary for the administration to explain in detail the security steps taken for the protection of the Relic to the general public through the Media, so that they willingly cooperate with the arrangements. There will always be some fundamentalist and obscurantist elements who will oppose these steps. By taking proactive and positive steps to comply with the religious protocol, these elements could be silenced.

In the present atmosphere of violence and communal tensions, it is necessary to take similar steps to protect important places of worship of all religious groups. Any desecration of mischief to any of the important places of worship, will trigger a chain reaction in the country and will result in communal holocaust.

Neutralising terrorists in a hostage, barricading, hijack, etc. situations is a specialised task, which calls for special training, equipment, expertise and mental preparation. In our country, national Security Guards is the only organisation specially trained and equipped to deal with such situations. it is wrong to assume that all commando units can perform as well as NSG, since their tasks are different. It may be recalled, that in May 1988, NSG carried out the brilliant ‘Operation Black Thunder’ at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, which resulted in the surrender of 192 hard core Sikh militants without blood shed. NSG Should have certainly been deployed at Hazaratbal and the reasons for not doing so is baffling. it is quite likely that to throw a cordon quickly around the shrine, local Army Units were called in but they should have been replaced by NSG units as soon as possible. The Special Ranger Groups of NSG are specially trained to lay a siege and provide operational support to the Special Action Groups where an assault becomes inevitable. In the event of use of force becoming necessary, NSG by using special weapons would cause the least loss of life and damage to property. Deployment of NSG in such situations should become mandatory and the first option.

It is time to enunciate a National Policy on negotiations with terrorists. All advanced nations have such a policy which is widely known. Terrorists would also be clear about the stand of the National Government in this regard. Guidelines will be readily available with the State administration to deal with terrorist situations. it is better to evolve this policy on the basis of consultation and consensus among national political parties.

Army in meant to defend the territorial integrity of the country and is trained and prepared to go to war at short notice. While engaged in war, Army needs the good will and support of the entire nation. Thus, care is always taken to keep Defence forces apolitical and criticism of Defence forces is avoided. There is a growing tendency in our country to call in the Army frequently to deal with situations of civil strife, when large number of security personnel are required. This is neither good for the Army nor the Nation. In civil strife situations, citizens are divided on ideology and political issues and Army’s intervention will force them to identify with one view or the other and to that extent a segment of the citizenry will get alienated from the Army and may withhold their cooperation in times of need. Further, Army’s ethos is victory at all costs. Army personnel are motivated, trained, and groomed to achieve victory irrespective of cost. When deployed, Army needs clear cut policy guidelines and will not brook any interference in its operations. This results in certain amount of rigidity and inflexibility, which is essential for Army to function efficiency. There is nothing wrong with this approach and Army can not afford to make changes in their goals and objectives in the midst of operations.

In contract, the aim of civil administration is peace at all costs. The basic ethos is conciliation and not confrontation. In a terrorist situation like the one at Hazaratbal, the first and basic aim of civil administration was the safety of the shrine and the relic and release of civilian hostages without blood shed. Capture and surrender of militants was secondary though an important agenda. Thus negotiations were started, which implied that the authorities are willing to concede some concessions to the militants. As the negotiations proceeded, certain shifts in the stand to meet the developing situation became necessary. To negotiate a settlement successfully, the civil administration should have full control over all aspects of the situation including operations. it may be recalled, that there was resentment among army personnel when food was sent inside the shrine by the chief negotiator for the first time. This was a psychological confidence building exercise but certainly against all parameters of an effective siege. Further, deployment of regular Army to tackle a terrorist situation, magnifies the issue and blows it out of all proportions in the eyes of the world. It is made to appear that excessive force is being brought into use-a sledge hammer being used to swat a fly. Thus, in the interests of the Army and the Nation, all out efforts are to be made not to involve Army in civil strife situations.

In a crisis, the Government needs the full backing of the people. To ensure this, all political parties are to cooperate with the Government. They could do so, only when they have full facts of the crisis and are convinced about the need and efficacy of the steps being contemplated by the government. In a situation like Hazaratbal, the Nation should present a picture of unity to the outside world and there can not be discordant views which would be exploited by vested interests abroad. it is a well established convention in liberal democracies that the Government brief leaders of major political parties on a day to day basis during crisis. It is necessary to institutionalize such an arrangement in our country. Like the crisis management group of officials which meet under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary to handle the crisis on day to day basis, a Crisis Management Group of leaders of National political parties represented in the Parliament should be constituted under the Chairmanship of the Home Minister. This Committee should be fully briefed about various aspects of the problem and its cooperation sought to mobilise public opinion in support of steps taken by the Government.

In a crisis, people need authentic information and can not look up to BBC broadcasts or foreign T.V. Networks to give them information. We should evolve a well structured Media Policy for Crisis Situations. A fairly senior functionary of Information and Broadcasting Ministry should be available on the spot to coordinate all Media activities and to provide facilities for the Media to get correct and accurate information. He should also act as official spokesman. Rumours can play havoc during crisis. To forestall such an eventuality, National broadcasts on Radio and T.V. should give hourly, a brief summary of developments for a few minutes. It should be enjoined on all VIPs and officials, irrespective of their rank, that in crisis situations, other than the official spokesman, none else should give out information on the crisis or air their personal views. This step is essential to avoid confusion in public mind.

Finally, it is submitted for the consideration of the Supreme Court to issue guidelines to all superior courts as to how to deal with terrorist situations when their writ jurisdiction is invoked. Terrorist inspired situations are extraordinary situations where the lives of innocent citizens and the security of the State hang by a slender thread. These are not the occasions to insist on normal administrative compliance to judicial directions. It is neither wise nor possible for the administration to reveal its hand and further moves to the court as such a step will only benefit terrorists. It is perhaps possible for the Supreme Court to directly deal with matters concerning terrorist situations, when the State and Central Governments come up with such a request. Such cases may be heard in camera and only the details of the judgement be given to the public.

[ Back ] [Top]