THE murderous attack on N. Chandrababu Naidu and the others travelling with him should once again alert policy-makers to the phenomenon of domestic terrorism in the country. This attack gives enough proof, if indeed it was needed, that domestic terrorism is alive and killing. There is little doubt that internal terrorist groups receive inspiration, expertise, weapons and technology from outside sources. For instance, the tactics the LTTE had once employed are apparent in the blast on the road to Tirupati. But unless we are willing to accept the near-total domestic dimension of some of the terrorism that the country faces, we are unlikely to address the phenomenon in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, especially when we listen to the statements of some of our national leaders, it is difficult to escape the impression that we have placed all our focus on externally sponsored terrorism. While the immediate focus would naturally be on VIP security, we must also remember that the “enemy” would constantly look for ways and means to bypass or break through the security architecture in place. And sometimes new tactics, technology or plain luck could lead to their success. That such breakthroughs are few and far between speak highly of our security agencies and their ability to deal with the challenges we face. Obviously more needs to be done in providing a better and more pervasive security regime. The answer lies in constantly updating knowledge about terrorism and terrorist tactics and technologies, not merely within the country, but elsewhere in the world. This requires a major modernisation of our state police forces and their training programmes. It is time that our political leaders understood the importance of an apolitical professional police force, which in turn would also be able to protect both VIPs and ordinary citizens better. In short, the overall governance in the country and the eradication of the root causes that lead men and women to terrorism need to be tackled on a priority basis while terrorism is fought out through better enforcement. We must pay greater attention to the socio-economic factors that tend to breed a sense of relative deprivation among various sections to ensure that the phenomenon of rising disparities in society, described by some as the “two Andhras”, is managed successfully. Naidu has taken the state forward in a major way in certain sectors during the years he has been at the helm of affairs. But the resurgence of violence by the Peoples War Group and other ideologically driven perpetrators of terrorist violence indicates that we need to win the minds and hearts of local youth even more than providing a secure environment.
