Terrorism

Terrorism is the reality of the modern world. In the present world many social, political, economical evils are
present to the society. The society is variously and vividly affected by these. Not very recent, but most
threatening of the evils, which is present in almost all the countries no matter big or small, developed or under-
developed, poor or rich is terrorism. It is claiming thousands of lives every year and causing loss of public and
government properties. In recent past in the new century alone we can remember the terror attack on twin
towers in New York, tube blast in London, hotel blast in Pakistan, various blasts in Sri Lanka, train blasts in
Mumbai, blasts in the market in Delhi and the list goes on. They all were in destructive in nature and claimed
many lives. In this paper we will not reflect theologically or try to propose any thing. We just tried to present the
issue of terrorism in India as understood by us.

Definition:
It is very easy to utter the words terror, terrorism and terrorist, but it is very difficult to define hem. While the
problem posed by terrorism has received serious global attention, the international community has not yet
formulated a uniform definition of terrorism. The saying, “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,”
remains a common perspective on the definitional problem of terrorism. Simonsen and Spindlove provide
following diverse definitions to describe terrorism.
i. Simple: Violence or threatened violence intended to produce fear or cause change.
ii. Legal: Criminal violence violating legal codes and punishable by state.
iii. Analytical: A specific political and/or social factor behind individual violent acts.
iv. State-sponsored: National or other groups used to attack Western or other vested interests.
v. State: Power of the government used to repress its people to the point of submission.1
The Federal investigation Beaureu’s definition goes like this, “Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence
against a person or property to intimidate or coerce a government, civilian population, or any segment thereof,
in furtherance of political or social objectives.”
Nature of Terrorism:

The nature of terrorism exhibits the following elements: Terrorism is an international act. It is a premeditated
act which includes violence. It causes fear, aims at a specific target and it intends to change behaviour in that
audience or society. terrorism should be understood as a political act to achieve a desired goal through the use of
violence. Terrorism is not an irrational act committed by the insane. The terrorist does not act for personal gain
or gratification, thus the terrorist is not a criminal in the traditional sense. The intent is not to kill those who die
in an attack, but to affect the larger society as a whole. An attack can be committed to destroy the buildings and
operations of a society, to kill or injure people or to disrupt the peaceful existence of the society. The attack can
seek to achieve all three or a combination of the three. The objective can be to force a government to negotiate
or to seek revenge for a government action. Terrorism does not seek specific victims but it does seek out
specific targets for a specific outcome.2

1
, Clifford E. Simonsen and Jeremy R. Spindlove, Terrorism Today, The Past, the Players, the Future III ed. (New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, 2006), 8.
2
http://cjc.delaware.gov/terrorism/nature.shtml; ibid.
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Terrorism in India:

Since its independence in 1947, India has been facing the problem of insurgency and terrorism in different parts
of the country.3 Arun Jaitely gives an account of terrorism in India saying,

“We have in the last 15 odd years, seen 5 different kinds of terrorism emerging in India. Of course the most
significant one, is the one we see on account of cross border insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir. The second
in the Punjab, which we saw through the 1980s and early 1990s, which we were fortunate to have been able
to overcome. The third we saw a severe problem since then partly diluted, in the South from the LTTE. We
have had continued insurgency in several parts of North East and the latest to join these categories has been
the kind of terrorists which has spread along various parts of central India the Maoist insurgency from
Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh parts of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar right up till the Nepal border. No less
severe, the kind of terrorism which we see inspired by various other external agencies.”4

The causes which lead to terrorism in India differ in character and nature. B. Raman in his article tries to
summarise the various causes of terrorism in India, and he does in following way-

a. Political Causes:

According to him this cause is seen specially in the staes of Assam and Tripura. The government is unable to
fulfil the demands of the people of the land and that is leading to insurgency which is later converting to
terrorism.

b. Economic causes:

Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Bihar are prime examples where economic factors are leading to
terrorism. Economic factors include the absence of land reforms, rural unemployment, exploitation of landless
labourers by land owners, etc. These economic grievances and perceptions of gross social injustice have given
rise to ideological terrorist groups such as the various Marxist/Maoist groups operating under different names.

c. Religious Causes:

Punjab before 1995 and in J&K since 1989 are the main examples of terrorism emerging from religious causes.
In Punjab, some Sikh elements belonging to different organisations took to terrorism to demand the creation of
an independent state called Khalistan for the Sikhs. In J&K, Muslims belonging to different organisations took
to terrorism for conflicting objectives. Some, such as the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front, want
independence for the state, including all the territory presently part of India, Pakistan and China. Others, such as
the Hizbul Mujahideen, want India's J&K state to be merged with Pakistan.

d. Ethnic causes:

This is mainly seen in Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur due to feelings of ethnic separateness. This feeling of
seperateness causes unrest in the people and lead them to a way which leads to anti-governmental activities for
their cause.5
3
B Raman, “Terrorism: India's unending war” at http://www.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp?docpath=//news/2003/apr/03spec.htm
4
Arun Jaitley, Terrorism and India on http://www.hvk.org/articles/0103/62.html

5
http://www.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp?docpath=//news/2003/apr/03spec.htm
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 e. State Violence:

State violence can also be factor leading to terrorism. The state is indulged in severe kind of structural violence
against people. This can be seen in the case of present ongoing Maoist struggle. Laws which give law
enforcement agencies enormous power against common people and they use it terribly against the people to
subdue them. This creates a feeling of anger in the people and which translates in the violent action against
government from the people.
Terrorism in Punjab

During 1970s, the Indian Green Revolution brought increased economic prosperity for the Sikh community in
Punjab. This propensity kindled an age old fear in the Sikh community - that of being absorbed into the Hindu
fold and led to the rise of Sikh militants. The insurgency intensified during 1980s when the movement turned
violent and the name Khalistan resurfaced and sought independence from the Indian Union. Led by Jarnail
Singh Bhindranwale who , though not in favor in the creation of Khalistan but also was not against it, began
using militancy to stress the movement's demands. Soon things turned bloody with India alleging that
neighboring Pakistan supported these militants, who, by 1983-84, had begun to enjoy widespread support
among Sikhs.

In 1984, Operation Blue Star was conducted by the Indian government to stem out the movement. It involved an
assault on the Golden Temple complex, which Sant Bhindranwale had fortified in preparation of an army
assault. Indira Gandhi, India's then Prime minister ordered the military to storm the temple, which eventually
had to use tanks. After a seventy-four-hour firefight, the army successfully took control of the temple. In doing
so, it damaged some portions of the Akal Takht, the Sikh Reference Library and some damaged to the Golden
Temple itself. According to Indian government sources, eighty-three army personnel were killed and 249
injured. Militant casualties were 493 killed and eighty-six injured. During same year, the assassination of Indira
Gandhi by two Sikh bodyguards, believed to be driven by the Golden Temple affair, resulted in widespread anti-
Sikh riots, especially in New Delhi. Following Operation Black Thunder in 1988, Punjab Police, first under
Julio Ribeiro and then under KPS Gill, together with the Indian Army eventually succeeded in pushing the
movement underground. In 1985, Sikh terrorists bombed an Air India flight from Canada to India, killing all
329 people on board Air India Flight 182. It is the worst terrorist act in Canada's history.

The ending of Sikh militancy and the desire for a Khalistan catalyzed when the then-Prime Minister of Pakistan,
Benazir Bhutto handed all intelligence material concerning Punjab militancy to the Indian government, as a
goodwill gesture. The Indian government used that intelligence to put an end to those who were behind attacks
in India and militancy.The ending of overt Sikh militancy in 1993 led to a period of relative calm, punctuated by
militant acts (i.e. the assassination of Punjab CM, Beant Singh in 1995) attributed to half a dozen or so
operating Sikh militant organisations.

These organisations include Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Liberation
Force and Khalistan Zindabad Force.

Terrorism in Kashmir

The state terror in Kashmir, like the genocide in Bangladesh, has its roots in the partition of the Indian
subcontinent after the end of British colonial rule in 1947. The partition created two independent nations, India
and Pakistan (the latter divided into West Pakistan and East Pakistan, now Bangladesh). Kashmir emerged as
one of the flashpoints between the two countries when its "then ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, refused to accede to
either nation, apparently in a bid to preserve Kashmir's independence. However, an invasion by Pakistani
tribesmen in August and September 1947, and an uprising among Kashmiri Muslims in the state's western
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regions, ultimately compelled the maharaja to seek the assistance of Prime Minister Nehru of India. Nehru
agreed to send troops only if Kashmir formally acceded to India. On October 27, 1947, the maharaja agreed to
Kashmir's accession to India on the condition that Kashmir be permitted to retain its own constitution

The recent state of near-civil war in Kashmir is the outgrowth of increasing discontent in the region, reflecting
opposition to Indian attempts to interfere in Kashmir's politics and reduce its autonomy. In 1964, a militant
organization, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was created to lead the struggle for
independence. Widespread electoral fraud increased popular support for the JKLF and other, newer militant
groups. In 1990, emergency rule was instituted, and the Indian government launched a campaign of systematic
murders and disappearances of suspected militants. According to Kolodner, "The Indian army has engaged in
repeated atrocities on a massive scale in the process of its crackdown. The level of military misdeeds is so high
that we can only conclude that it is government policy to terrorize the Kashmiris into accepting Indian rule.
Rape, especially of women relatives of suspected militants or dissidents, has also been commonly employed by
both security forces and their paramilitary allies. "In the past, the Indian government has made public a number
of prosecutions of members of security forces for rape. However, even these cases amount to no more than a
handful; many other incidents of rape have never been prosecuted, and reports of rape and other sexual assaults
in Kashmir persist." One resident of the village of Marmal told Human Rights Watch that in October 1998, the
army conducted a sweep of nearly two dozen villages in the area, abducting many local women. "They are
looking for the militants," the resident reported. "But they are unable to find any. So they harass the local
population ... Our womenfolk are taken into the army camp, all separately. ... They come back after two or three
days. They are very shy then, and don't want to talk about what has happened to them. The army has pressured
them not to speak about what happened."

Thus the struggle is going on between the so called freedom fighters and the military forces. People are still
dying in the valley. The people who suffer most are the people whose life depended on the tourism business
which is almost stopped now.

Conclusion:

To conclude we can say that terrorism is a violent act to meet the political ends. It is not always the fault of the
people who are engaged in this violence. Sometimes the state violence is also very much responsible for
terrorism. But whoever may be responsible for that, at the end of the day it is we, the common people who
suffer, die, suspected and humiliated.

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