The Pakistani Spectator

The deadly ambush sprung by the Maoist Guerrillas in Chintarnal forests in the Dantewala district of Chhattisgarh on 6th April has laid open the Pandora Box of the ‘Terrorist Threat’ in India. For all practical purposes the vast swath of intellectual journalism in India tends to frame the multidimensional threat of terrorism in the contest of “jehadi terrorism”, (erstwhile “cross border terrorism”) emanating from Pakistan.  For them Pakistan’s support of freedom struggle in Kashmir forms the hub of India’s problem with terrorism. One barely hears of India’s tryst with its indigenous brand of terror where the rise of Hindu Fundamentalism has seen the use of terror as a weapon to intimidate 15% strong Muslim minority. Such blatant and brazen persecution has created an inevitable backlash where desperate elements in the beleaguered Muslim community are resorting to tit for tat actions.

The dark depth of Indian hinterland which houses the poorest of the poor of Indian tribal people has become the latest – and most lethal battle ground that is threatening to draw the Indian security apparatus into its deadly vortex in an unprecedented manner. For decades the Maoist insurgency has operated on the fringes of Indian public awareness but suddenly this is centre stage stuff. The Indian paramilitary forces are already eye deep into this quagmire, beckoning for the Indian army to join in. Operation Green Hunt, the largest ever mobilization of paramilitary troops in the central and eastern tribal belt involves deployment of 40000 paramilitary troops and policemen. A brigade of the Indian Army has reached Chhatisgarh and is waiting on the wings to join the anti insurgency operations. Armed with sophisticated weapons and helicopter gun ships these troops have launched search and destroy missions in worst affected states of Chhattisgarh, Andhara Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The opening up of a mega theater in the Indian heartland , in addition to incessant deployment in the Indian Held Kashmir and the seemingly forever clutch of insurgencies in the Indian North East, has placed the Indian Army and the para military forces under tremendous strain. As the casualties mount, without attaining any visible results, the Indian Army and its paramilitary forces are beginning to get stretched and show marked indicators of poor morale and the lack of will to carry the fight to Maoists in the vast areas of jungle land. The scourge of frigging – the killing of colleagues and superiors in a fit of rage have become routine. On the obverse the attraction to join the armed forces and the para military forces is in a nose-dive and the number of volunteers to respond to the call to arms is shrinking.

In the course of one year alone, during 2009, thirteen and a half thousand paramilitary personnel have tendered resignations or sought voluntary retirement where rules permitted such a course of action.  This is no small jolt; the strength, equivalent of thirteen paramilitary battalions, has vanished from among the ranks for greener and more rewarding pastures. This number far outweighs the new entrants who wish to join a profession considered hazardous and tedious giving no respite to those who elect to choose it for making a living. The trend is incremental; BSF leading the negative trend followed by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) which is leading the charge in the Maoist dominated zones.

Cracks are appearing in the institutional bonhomie. There is a pervasive perception that the paramilitary forces are getting a rough deal as compared to the Army in term of monetary benefits even though they share the same trials and tribulations – and the grumbling has already begun. Indian Union Home Ministry, under whom the paramilitary forces function, has directed its grousing at the Army personnel’s perks and privileges which have become a bone of contention. “Paramilitary forces get less allowances and benefits compared to Army even after the Sixth Pay Commission was announced. The difference is nearly 5000 to 6000 rupees at the lower ranks and the gulf widens at senior positions. A CRPF or the BSF jawan posted in Jammu and Kashmir will get less pay than an Army jawan, though they face the same risk,” a Ministry official complained.

In term of timings the lack of enthusiasm to join the Indian paramilitary forces couldn’t have come at a worst time. The challenges to the internal security are mounting and the demand to expand the already gargantuan paramilitary structure of India, in step with the mounting challenges posed by the bushfire like insurgency situation, is getting strident. The Indian military as well as paramilitary forces in India are stretched to the extreme and the tempers of the combatant soldiers are taut with battle fatigue and a lack of respite. There are instances where the soldiers haven’t gone on leave for two years – something extremely uncommon in fighting forces any where in the world. As the BSF and CRPF get wobbly the pressure will have to be absorbed by the Indian Army, which is watching the deteriorating situation in the Naxal heartland and resurgence in Kashmir with bated breath.