Terrorism

Introduction

Terrorism can be described as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government or its citizens to further certain political or social objectives. According to the Supreme Court, Terrorism is defined as the use of violence when the most important result is not only the physical and emotional trauma to the victim but also the long-term psychological impact on society as a whole. 

• Its major goal is to intimidate the government or disrupt society or the people.  
• The purposeful and systematic use of coercive intimidation separates terrorism from other types of violence. 
• Since independence, India has faced difficulties on the internal security front from both state and non-state entities. 

Terrorism in Contemporary Times:

• The terrorism that we see today is global in character and reach. It is marked by many transnational groups predominantly having religious fundamentalism as their core ideology. 
• With Osama Bin Laden’s AlQaeda and Afghan’s Taliban to the latest ISIS religious fundamentalism-based terrorism, the phenomenon of terrorism seems never to die. If we suppress it in one form, it re-emerges in another form, only more ruthless and lethal. 
• The Terrorism in Afghanistan and re-emergence of Taliban (2021) shows how the terrorism phenomenon never dies. Despite terrorism attaining worldwide recognition as a global phenomenon, attempts to arrive at a globally accepted definition of terrorism has been futile. 
• The main reason being one man’s terrorist is another’s a freedom fighter. Further, history is replete with examples of state-sponsored clandestine criminal acts and assassinations in other states to destabilise the other state and benefit from the Act. 
• There is political resistance to having something universally acceptable. India is firm in its resolution for a comprehensive definition of terrorism in the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), 1996. 

Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) Defines Terrorism As: 

• An offence committed by any person, with the purpose of the conduct is to intimidate a population or compel a Government or an international organisation to do or abstain from doing any act, which causes: 

• Death or serious bodily injury to any person; or 
• Serious harm to public or private property, including a place of public use, a State or government facility, a public transportation system, an infrastructure facility, or the environment; or 
• Damage to property, places, facilities, or systems resulting in or likely to result in a major economic loss.

Classification of Terrorism 

• Ethno-Nationalist Terrorism  
• Religious Terrorism 
• Left-Wing Terrorism 
• Right-Wing Terrorism 
• Cyber Terrorism  
• Bio-Terrorism
• Nuclear Terrorism