Aspirant Academy

Polity, Governance and Current Affairs

Challenges in Internal Security Management

Internal Security: Threats, Forces, Agencies, Challenges

Paper III · Unit 1 Section 9 of 13 0 PYQs 27 min
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Challenges in Internal Security Management

8.1 Institutional Challenges

Police Reforms

India's police system is governed by the outdated Police Act of 1861 (colonial era). The Supreme Court in Prakash Singh v. Union of India (2006) gave seven directives for police reforms:

  1. Fixed tenure for DGPs (Director General of Police) — 2 years
  2. Separation of law and order from investigation
  3. Police Complaints Authority at district and state level
  4. State Security Commissions (SSC)

Many states have not fully implemented Prakash Singh directives despite contempt proceedings.

Intelligence Coordination

Despite MAC creation post-26/11, intelligence sharing between different agencies (IB, RAW, state police, CAPFs) remains inadequate. The Intelligence Bureau lacks statutory backing and adequate human resource investment.

8.2 Social Causes of Insecurity

Development-Security Nexus in LWE Areas

Naxalism survives where development has failed — lack of roads, schools, healthcare, and formal land rights in tribal areas. The aspirational young tribal turned to Maoism partly because the state failed to provide economic opportunities.

Immigration and Demographic Change

Illegal immigration from Bangladesh into Assam/Tripura and the resultant ethnic tensions are a structural driver of Northeast insurgency. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) — updated in Assam (2019) under Supreme Court supervision — identified 19 lakh potential illegal immigrants but the process remains legally contested.

Alienation of Border Communities

Communities in border areas of J&K and Northeast feel economically and politically marginalised — making them susceptible to recruitment by armed groups or cross-border criminal networks.