Internal security has remained one of the core focus areas for India. As India now aspires and rises to taking the high seat in the comity of nations, the security challenges become more compounded and complex.
The Indo-Pakistan border:
1. This faces key challenges like infiltration and drug smuggling.
2. An increase in ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts is observed during the pre-winter season, when vigilance becomes extremely tough due to snowfall along the mountainous terrain.
3. Other factors like the political instability in Pakistan also lead to an upsurge in cross-border infiltration.
Indo-Bangladesh border challenges:
1. Since the partition in 1947, the primary challenge on this side of the border has been the influx of illegal migrants. Leading to serious burdens on state resources, infrastructure and changes in the demographics.
2. Border is used for smuggling of arms, ammunition and drugs, which has increased the number of anti-national elements illegally entering through this porous border.
Indo-Myanmar border challenges:
1. The open border and cross-ethnic ties among the tribal community help insurgents escape from the hands of the border security forces.
2. Fencing is very thinly done and has been a concern for the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) as it has been witnessing to drug trafficking.
Role played by various security agencies:
1. Assam Rifles (AR): Known as Friends of the Hill People. The Force has a dual role of maintaining internal security in the North Eastern region and guarding the Indo- Myanmar Border.4. The BSF is the world’s largest border guarding force. It secures the 6,386.36 km long international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Need is for integration and information sharing among various agencies for effective border management. Also, modernization of security forces for tackling changing security threats is way forward.