Keeping India Safe: The Dilemma of Indian Security
The book Keeping India Safe: The Dilemma of Indian Security, by Vappala Balachandran, critiques the internal security system of India while also providing suggestions on how to enhance the security of the nation. It is a timely and analytical understanding of the persistent challenges that threaten the security of India. Vappala Balachandran, a former IPS officer and Special Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, in his book, critically analyzes the political, structural, and operational weaknesses that persist in the internal security of India. The author presents his arguments practically and objectively in the book and supports them with adequate examples. The book is written in a clear and understandable style, making it easily readable for specialists and the public. The relevance of the book emerges from the fact that the author focuses on highlighting the issues that persist in the security landscape of India rather than a blame game. While the security may be effective at times, there are some structural and underlying issues that the author highlights. This is done to make the policymakers and readers aware of the challenges and problems in the security scenario of the nation. This approach, hence, enhances the credibility of the book and makes it a valuable resource for researchers, students, security analysts, and anyone interested in learning about India’s security.
Balachandran’s book guides the reader through the historical, operational, and institutional dimensions of security in India. He begins by analyzing the security in the colonial times of India, to the practices adopted in modern times. He focuses on the origins and the beginning of the issue of security by examining the colonial government. He examines the Government of India Act, 1935, and communal polarisation. He claims that it ‘weakened’ the central government’s power and India lacked the unified state control that was present under colonial rule. (Balachandran, 2017, 34)
The arguments in the book, however, revolve around the worry that India’s internal security mechanisms are not well equipped to deal efficiently with the quickly evolving and multidimensional domestic threats. Be it terrorism, communalism, left-wing insurgencies, or cybercrime, India has often responded in a reactive manner rather than strategically, and the government has a lot to learn in terms of institutional lessons. Also, the advice of security experts is often undermined.
The book highlights a theme of a lack of coordination between multiple security and intelligence agencies. This is illustrated through the example of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, where the state and the central agencies failed to coordinate effectively, even with prior warnings given. The book shows this as a structural failure of federalism and highlights flaws existing in the system that still remain unaddressed. The book addresses how the Central and the State governments politicize the internal security issues and focus on political interests over professional actions. The book also emphasizes how civil liberties are compromised in the name of security. This raises questions about the democratic functioning of India’s security forces and functioning. While the concept of and the process of implementing homeland security are of utmost importance to a nation, they may often be disregarded in the play of politics. (Sengupta, 2020)
Balachandran adopts a comparative approach to compare the efficiency of internal security with countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel. Although he is wary of adopting the models, he rather suggests adopting reforms that cater to the Indian federal structure and democracy. A centralized homeland security like the USA’s may not be as effective for India because of India’s diversity and state-specific security challenges that arise. This demands a decentralized and state-empowered framework that can inculcate local knowledge with national intelligence.
The book is a mix of policy analysis, historical context, and personal experiences. He makes a strong case for making the police and intelligence services more professional and enhancing inter-agency cooperation and policy formation beyond partisan divide. He calls for strengthening the local authorities and state police forces and also driving internal security reforms through consultation rather than political considerations. He advocates for establishing a transparent and accountable culture in security that respects civil liberties. The book covers a wide range of topics spanning from constitutional debates to contemporary terror threats and also correlates historic events with the development of current challenges.
While the book is enhanced with the experiences of the author, a minor critique of the book can be seen as the recommendations are a bit too broad for specific implementation. For example, phrases such as “better coordination” or “decentralization” need more description for them to be implemented. Specific recommendations for implementation could have led to stronger policy and administrative reforms.
Other recommendations include streamlining the responsibilities of the police to reduce their burden and improving the allocation of resources. This reform can be brought in by making changes to the policies. Even establishing better coordination amongst private and government intelligence and security agencies. Creation of independent think tanks to promote research and innovation in the field of security policy. Development of a more centralized police force with national jurisdiction to address trans-state threats effectively is one of the pragmatic suggestions that Balachandran proposes. (Shaffer, 2020)
In conclusion, Keeping India Safe: The Dilemma of Internal Security is indeed an apt and timely examination of the structural and intelligence weaknesses combined with political dilemmas. The experiences of the author give strength to his arguments presented in the book. The book serves as an essential read for policymakers and security professionals. It is indeed a must-read for anyone who is interested in understanding the intricacies of India’s internal security challenges and who wishes to understand how nations fail to manage or manage internal threats. The book is a combination of historical and policy analysis, combined with ample case studies. The call for action in policy reforms makes the book an essential read for professionals. The message in the book highlights that the internal security of India can only be strengthened if the structural flaws from the past are resolved in the present. Reform, coordination, and learning from the global best practices can help India keep its citizens safe in this world of increased complexities. The book is a must-read for those who wish to understand and decode the dilemmas of the Indian security puzzle.
Hitesh Kumar Meena
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