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Subject: Security Forces mandate

  • Over 70% of police personnel favour immunity for use of force, “Status of Policing in India 2025” finds

    Why in the News

    The “Status of Policing in India 2025” report finds that over 70% of police personnel favour immunity for using force without accountability. The report also flags that National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) custodial injury data is unreliable, undermining independent verification of police conduct.

    Why does the immunity preference expose an accountability gap?

    1. Majority preference: A 70% plus preference for immunity among serving police personnel indicates the demand for accountability protection is not a fringe view but a majority institutional stance.
    2. Data unreliability: If NCRB custodial injury data is unreliable, external oversight bodies cannot independently verify whether force used against civilians was proportionate, regardless of internal police attitudes.
    3. Compounding effect: An accountability averse police culture combined with unreliable official data on custodial injury creates a structure where excessive force is both preferred by personnel and difficult to prove externally.

    Conclusion

    1. The central idea is that police demand for immunity and unreliable custodial injury data reinforce each other, since neither internal culture nor official data currently supports independent verification of force used against civilians. Addressing this requires fixing NCRB data reliability before any accountability reform on use of force can be meaningfully enforced.

    Back2Basics

    National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB): Statutory body under the Ministry of Home Affairs that compiles crime and criminal justice statistics across India, including custodial injury and death data.

    1. Analyze internal security threats and transborder crimes along Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan borders including Line of Control (LoC). Also discuss the role played by various security forces in this regard

      With 15,106.7 km of land borders, the sanctity of India’s frontiers is the primary shield against unconventional “hybrid” warfare and transnational organized crime.

      Myanmar Border (1,643 km)

      Safe Havens for Insurgent Groups (IIGs)- Groups like ULFA-I and NSCN-K utilize “ungoverned spaces” in Myanmar to train and retreat.

      “Golden Triangle” Narcotics- Myanmar is a global hub for Methamphetamines. Eg- ED raids in Champhai (Mizoram) uncovering a network.

      Precursor Chemical Smuggling- Sending pseudoephedrine from India to Myanmar for drug production.

      Weapon Proliferation- Smuggling of sophisticated Western and Chinese arms from Myanmar’s black markets into Manipur.

      Bangladesh Border (4,096 km)

      Illegal Migration- Movement of undocumented individuals

      Illegal Cattle Smuggling (billion-dollar) – leads to border skirmishes.

      Bangladesh acts as a transit point for high-quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN).

      Human Trafficking- A major route for trafficking women and children for forced labor.

      Radicalization Spillover- groups like Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) attempting to establish sleeper cells in West Bengal and Assam.

      Pakistan Border & LoC- The “Hybrid Warfare” Zone (3,323 km)

      Drone-Based Narco-Terrorism in Punjab through Golden Crescent

      Infiltration of “Hybrid” Terrorists- Eg- The April 2025 Pahalgam attack which killed 26 tourists.

      Loitering Munition Attacks to target military infrastructure dueing ‘Op Sindoor’

      Role of OGW – generate pro-terror content, circulate videos and organise protests to delegitimise the state.

      Role Played by Various Security Forces

      India follows the “One Border, One Force” principle to ensure specialized guarding.

      Indian Army (Line of Control & Siachen)

      Mandate- High-intensity combat and maintaining the sanctity of the LoC and LAC.

      Counter-Infiltration through Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System (AIOS) (a multi-layered fence equipped with sensors)

      Siachen Defense- Guards the world’s highest battlefield at heights above 20,000 feet.

      Border Security Force (BSF)

      Guards the International Borders (IB) with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

      Anti-Smuggling Operations- Intercepts narcotics, cattle, and arms smuggling.

      Implements the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS).

      Anti-Drone Warfare- Operates specialized jammers and “hard-kill” interceptors

      Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

      Guards the Indo-China Border (LAC) from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.

      Acts as the first responder for avalanches and landslides in the Himalayan region.

      Assam Rifles (AR)

      Guards the Indo-Myanmar Border and conducts counter-insurgency operations in N-E.

      Responsible for implementing the 2024-25 scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and biometric profiling of border-crossers.

      Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

      Guards the Nepal and Bhutan Borders.

      Acts as the Lead Intelligence Agency (LIA) to identify “Third-Country Nationals”

      Other Steps taken

      Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) for intelligence sharing

      Vibrant Villages Programme

      The integration of modern technology with civil-military cooperation is essential to create “Multi-layered Security Shield.”

    2. What are the internal security challenges being faced by India? Give out the role of Central Intelligence and Investigative Agencies tasked to counter such threats.

      India’s internal security landscape has become increasingly complex, characterized by the convergence of traditional threats and high-tech “Grey Zone” challenges.

      Traditional Internal Security Challenges

      Cross-Border Terrorism- Eg- The 2025 Pahalgam attack by the TRF (a proxy of LeT).

      Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)- The “Red Corridor” remains a threat in core districts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

      Insurgency in the North-East- Ethnic militancy and secessionist movements like NSCN (IM).

      Communal and Sectarian Violence- Eg- Delhi Riots, 2020

      Illegal Migration & Infiltration along Bangladesh and Myanmar borders. Eg- Rohingya

      Organized Crime Syndicates-

      Extortion and smuggling networks. Eg- D-Company

      Drug Trafficking from Golden Crescent and Golden Traingle

      Hawala & Fake Currency (FICN)- Illegal financial channels used to destabilize the economy.

      Coastal Security Vulnerabilities

      Piracy

      Illegal deep sea fishing

      Emerging Internal Security Challenges

      Drone-Enabled Smuggling- Use of UAVs for drug and weapon drops.

      Cyber-Warfare-

      Rise in “Digital arrest” cases

      13.7% of global incidents target India (Cyfirma report)

      Deepfakes & AI-Disinformation- Eg- Manipulated videos during the 2025 state elections.

      Online Radicalization and “white-collar” terrorism. Eg- 2025 “Doctor Module” of Red Fort Blast.

      Cryptocurrency for Terror Funding- Use of “Privacy Coins” to bypass banking regulators.

      Role of agencies

      Intelligence Agencies

      Intelligence Bureau (IB)-

      India’s premier internal intelligence agency

      Manages the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) to coordinate real-time terror alerts

      Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW)- External intelligence agency. Monitors cross-border launch pads, foreign political developments, and global terror financing.

      National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)-

      The apex body for technical intelligence

      Manages spy satellites, UAVs, and “Cyber-Surveillance”.

      Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)- Integrates intelligence from the Army, Navy, and Air Force

      Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND)- receive and analyze reports on suspicious financial transactions to track money laundering and terror funding.

      Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)- India’s premier anti-smuggling agency. Monitors trafficking of gold, firearms, and counterfeit currency (FICN). Eg- Operation Molten Metal to bust gold smuggling racket

      Investigative Agencies

      National Investigation Agency (NIA)-

      The federal counter-terrorism agency

      Has Suo Motu powers to investigate terror cases without state consent.

      Eg- “Operation Octopus” Against PFI

      Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-

      Probes high-profile corruption, economic offenses, and serious inter-state crimes

      Acts as the nodal agency for Interpol in India.

      Enforcement Directorate (ED)- enforce the PMLA

      Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)- Apex coordinating body for the drug trade

      Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)- investigate complex white-collar crimes and large-scale corporate frauds.

      Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)- curbing organized wildlife crime and illegal trade in endangered species.

      Advanced intelligence, investigative precision, and grassroots socio-economic development need to work in tandem to safeguard the nation’s democratic fabric.