Every morning, from the past few months we have been waking up to the news of bloodshed, terrorist attacks, bombings, refugee crisis and more from across the world. Be it the terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, ISIS or ISIL, Boko Haram or whatever the name these organizations go by, they have been posing a great problem to the mankind in the recent years. Currently the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and even the European Union nations are affected by them.
All these countries have been receiving extensive media coverage due the severity of the problems they are facing at the moment. But closer to home, India is not untouched either. Recently the Indian security agencies have been working overtime, collecting intelligence and acting on leads to arrest and inquire people suspected of links to these organizations. While these things are usually carried out under a cloak of secrecy, the mere fact that it is being reported by media outlets signifies the level of threat the country is facing at the moment.
India is not new to terrorism as the country has been constantly under threat since its independence in 1947. The country has borne the burnt of such disillusioned individuals and organizations many times. The forces responsible for such attacks have been both external and internal. The recent attacks on one of the most secure Indian defense installation or the horrific Mumbai attacks have made waves across the world, receiving wide coverage by the media.
In most of the cases, the attacks are carried out by external agencies and foreign state actors. However, it doesn't mean the country is not facing similar threats from the inside as well. In order to execute any operation, it is essential to have sufficient intelligence, which can't be readily accessed using Google Maps, Google Earth or other applications. There is a need for 'boots on the ground'. These 'boots on the ground' are generally those who have access to target locations. In most cases, these boots on the ground are either members of terrorist organizations who have entered the country and providing intelligence to those planning the attacks or citizens on the country who strongly believe and recognize themselves with such organizations or the cause they represent.
The arrests in recent times, as reported by the media has thrown light on alleged involvement of individuals who are citizens of the country. Now what influenced these individuals to take such a step is something which is beyond my comprehension except for few possible explanations I have at the moment. There are cases where people are entrapped and blackmailed into sharing intel with these organizations and then there are those who willingly do it after falling prey to the propaganda. All these reasons are reasons good enough to prevent such incidents from happening.
For a country with over 1.3 billion population, combating terrorist propaganda, identifying those affected by such propaganda and counselling them is a huge challenge, which the country has been somehow managing with great success. However, given the sheer number it is not always 100 percent efficient. But that is not acceptable either as even a single failure can potentially lead to huge loss in terms of life, limb and resources.
In order to prevent such isolated misses and make a more concentrated effort to combat terrorism on Indian soil, it is imperative for the government, both present and future to implement certain drastic measures. Mandatory conscription is one such measure which the government should implement in order to effectively combat terrorism in the country. Mandatory conscription should dictate every youth (with certain exceptions) to serve the country as a part of the defense forces for a minimum period of one to two years. The very idea of getting the youth actively involved in the security of the nation will reduce the risk of radicalization in the name of ideals, religion and other influencing factors.
We are a peace-loving country and the chances of India going to war with its neighbors or anyone for that matter is very slim. In such atmosphere, the youth undergoing mandatory conscription are not at exposed to risk any greater than the ones they face without being conscripted. The benefits, psychological and physical are more. The basic training etc. can be considered healthy and according to popular belief discipline building. More important is the fact that their experience in the armed forces and the feeling of contributing towards national security will have far greater benefit for the country's security and well being of its citizens.
Being part of a bigger team, sharing a common goal of protecting the sovereignty of the nation by combating threats will promote patriotism among the youth. This will psychologically make them less susceptible to terrorist propaganda or any other influence that can influence them to land on the wrong side of the line. It will also make lives of security agencies a lot easier, creating a better and stronger country than it already is.
However, convincing the entire population to accept mandatory conscription will be really hard. If successful, we can expect a better future, sooner than we had hoped for.
