Community response to terrorism

By A.P. Maheshwari**

(January 20, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) We are not the first, we will not be the last, to attempt to evolve peaceful ways of human sustenance with a fair opportunity to all. A glance through history would reveal the dynamics of such an effort by various communities and societies to bargain a mutually dignified, as well as a fearless, settlement. Certain levels of conflict that flow out of varied stratifications, socio-political or economic, within a community or a society have had their manifestations in the form of the exploitation of some kind or the other. We all have been a witness to it. Societies have been oscillating between state sponsored violence and the non-state terrorism by private players which have now assumed the format of ‘Franchise Terrorism’.

Traditionally, therefore, realising the prime onus of administering peace, communities have been participating in the war against terrorism. They have done so, by passing on intelligence inputs to the peace keepers, who, they have authorised on their own behalf to protect them against the aggressors. This by implication means that people ought to realise that it is their prime duty to keep a careful watch on what is happening around them and to pass on the important inputs to those whom they think are responsible enough to act upon the transferred information. It also means that good citizens ought to come forward to join the risky profession of managing security agencies. They ought not to be lured by temptations in life and also not leave the system to the less responsible lot. It also means that good citizens have to change their mindset that it is not their concern but someone else’s headache.

I tend to agree with Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the former President, who said that good citizens have to unite against terror in the form of a national campaign in order to thwart the network of the terror elements. Otherwise too, we have evolved various forces in form of civil defence societies, Home Guards, NCC, Scouts, Public Clubs and so on. The same forum can be rightly activated to spread awareness and consciousness amongst the common man. Then the role of the educated lot becomes crucial. Instead of building our own personal forte in terms of our job profile or prosperity or our social networking amongst the elite, we need to spare a few moments to reflect if we have done enough for the neglected lot and society at large. A systematic arrangement has its own role to play. Social pressure and dissonance against evil acts has evaporated with time and today we find criminalisation in politics as well as in administration. Why should the voting ratio in any election not be hundred percent? Why cannot we abstain from availing of certain privileges or avoid using short cuts and discourage the ‘touts’ from flourishing in public services. A community support can do wonders. Going by empirical surveys, 20% of the people in administration would remain good despite adverse circumstances, 20% would anyways remain bad despite all efforts. The middle 60% swing to either sides depending upon the polarity. It is here that public support can make a difference. However, it is easier said than done in a situation of political polarities. Yet we cannot just leave it at that, social institutions have to find their way.

Our society must take up the issues of Police reforms and of professionalism. Let Police be declared a planned and a critical service focussing on quality rather than numbers alone. The Police needs to evolve beyond being a repressive tool of the party in power or a low graded human resource pool that thrives on primitive instincts. The community must discuss these issues and demand better policing formats for them. The community needs to give dignity to the security services and to shed its cognitive legacies.

One thing which responsible people can do at once is to evolve a partnership forum with the security agencies which need expert services to thwart the technologically exported terror. The cyber experts, the engineers, the doctors, the auditors all can pool in their expertise to assist the agencies in tracing and deciphering various terror prints which get lost owing to a delay arising out of a lack of required logistics. Various civil defence forums can be used to induct such expert members after due verification and security agencies can collaborate with them. Even if each one spares 24 hrs a month, the pooled talent kit would then be rich enough to mitigate any blockade.

The experiment of police missions constituted in form of a public – private collaboration at various levels can also be given a try. At the cutting edge level various countries have evolved effective community policing formats. Let us not forget that good health is the result of minute steps taken daily in a balanced way and not through booster doses in a short span.

Last, but not the least, let us also do our self policing and cooperate with security procedures, not just make a lot of hue and cry. ‘Security’ is a dynamic domain. Hence continued awareness and consciousness has to emerge as a consistent habit and not merely a temporary fad.

(The writer: *Inspector General of Police, DGP Hqrs, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Govt. of India) - Sri Lanka Guardian