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The tryst of India with terrorism and extremism is not a new phenomenon. This can be easily verified by taking a look at the religion-based partition of the country in 1947. As soon as India became independent, it had to deal with religious extremism, due to which countless lives were lost. Since then, the country has occasionally suffered from terrorist attacks in one form or another. While unfortunate, this has made India well-equipped in dealing with terrorism. This experience was brilliantly showcased in the Indian counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar. India’s bold counter-terror operation in Myanmar perfectly demonstrated its strict anti-terrorism stance. Let’s learn more about this operation.
Indian Policy on Terrorism
Before we jump into India’s bold counter-terror operation in Myanmar, let’s first learn about her terrorism policy. As already discussed, the country has a long-standing experience with terrorism.
The main causes of terrorism in India are based on the following:
- Politics
- Religion
- Ethnicity
- Ideology
- Linguistic grievance
- Socio-economic grievance
In India, terrorism exists in multiple segments, such as the following:
- Fanatic religious movements
- Aggravating statements or speeches of political and religious nature
- Communal politics
- Poor governance
- Inefficient criminal justice
- Human rights excesses
- Illiteracy
- Marginalised minority communities
- Poverty
- High rate of unemployment
Due to this, India has plenty of experience in dealing with various acts and forms of terrorism. Moreover, owing to the many causes of terrorism in India, the country follows a highly vigilant and strict policy. This is why India was able to conduct a successful counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar.
Background to India’s Bold Counter-Terror Operation
We must also become familiar with the background of India’s bold counter-terror operation. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) was the main culprit behind the tensions in India and Myanmar. It is a Christian Naga nationalist militant group that carries out its operations in Northeast India and Myanmar. This group wants to create ‘Nagalim’, a sovereign Christian state.
In 1988, the group was divided into the following factions:
- NSCN (Khaplang)
- NSCN (Isak-Muivah)
Violent clashes erupted between the two factions following this division. The Indian Government entered into ceasefire agreements with both factions. However, in 2015, the ceasefire agreement was terminated by the Myanmar-based NSCN (K). Afterwards, the faction launched an attack inside the Indian territory. Consequently, India decided to initiate the Myanmar operation.
India’s Bold Counter-Terror Operation
India prepared a team of commandos from the Special Forces. This team carried out a punitive and bold raid on two hideouts of Naga insurgents. The location of these hideouts was about seven kilometres inside the border of Myanmar. As a consequence, 38 Naga militants were killed while several others suffered injuries. This Indian counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar proved to be highly successful.
Controversy and Debate
The success of the military operation was followed by a lot of controversy and debate. Extremely patriotic statements came from several Indian political leaders. Deputy Information and Broadcasting Minister, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, went so far as to say that this operation was a message for all countries and Pakistan.
Several debates were triggered in the mainstream media on the morality behind the Myanmar operation. The strong opposing reaction came from the Pakistani leadership regarding protecting their national sovereignty against any Indian counter-insurgency operation. Also, statements of contradictory nature came from Myanmar. This led some to dispute the Indian version of the Myanmar operation.
It is, indeed, unfortunate that many are viewing India’s bold counter-terror operation in Myanmar in the wrong light. This is due to the following two reasons:
- Firstly, the Indian counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar was not the first of its kind. Covert operations had been conducted by India previously in Myanmar and Bhutan.
- Secondly, as a sovereign nation, India has every right to deal with any threat to its national security in any way it sees fit.
Conclusion
India’s experience with terrorism and extremism is old. It goes back to the 1947 partition of the nation, which was based on religion. As such, India is well-aware of dealing with terrorism. This experience led to India’s successful bold counter-terror operation in Mynamar. The reason for launching it was the violations and extremist behaviour of the nationalist militant group NSCN (K). India’s Special Forces launched a raid on this group, due to which 38 Naga militants were killed. Moreover, plenty of other militants were injured. This operation in Myanmar sparked controversy and debate.
