Chidambaram proposes radical restructuring of India's security structure

India’s Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram has proposed setting up a National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) as part of a plan to radically restructure the country’s security apparatus. Delivering the 22nd Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture he said that given the scope and urgency of internal security, it is necessary to separate the non-internal security related functions from the Home Ministry. Mr Chidambaram said,

“Subjects not directly related to internal security should be dealt with by a separate Ministry or should be brought under a separate Department in the MHA and dealt with by a Minister, more or less independently, without referring every issue to the Home Minister.  The Home Minister should devote the whole of his/her time and energy to matters relating to security.”

Mr Chidambaram said that initial reforms to the security structure since the Mumbai attacks have improved India’s capacity to contain and repulse a terrorist attack. However, more needs to be done before India can be said to have the capacity to “respond swiftly and decisively.” The Mumbai attacks had brought forth the lack of communication between the intelligence and law enforcement agencies in India. The response to the attacks was full of chaos and many policemen were martyred.

To improve the communication and intelligence sharing among all security agencies in the country, the Indian government is working on setting up a NATGRID and Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS). Mr Chidambaram said that the NATGRID project would take 18 to 24 months to complete and will network 21 sets of databases “to achieve quick, seamless and secure access to desired information for intelligence/enforcement agencies.” The CCTNS system will “facilitate collection, storage, retrieval, analysis, transfer and sharing of data and information at the police station and between the police station and the State Headquarters and the Central Police Organisations.”

Elucidating the importance of the police forces in law enforcement and intelligence gathering, Mr Chidambaram said that it is necessary to recruit more people to strengthen the state police forces. The ratio of police to every 100,000 people in India is only 130, as compared to the international average of 270. Therefore, an additional recruitment of around 400,000 police personnel over the next two years is essential.

The Home Minister’s ambitious plans for restructuring the security apparatus are sure to face political and bureaucratic resistance. India has the manpower and technological know-how to implement the NATGRID and CCTNS, and only bureaucratic resistance to change could stand in the way of making the most of it. However, if successful, it could significantly alter how the Indian intelligence and security forces interact, and help avoid the mistakes of 26/11. They would help deal with internal rebel groups such as the ULFA and Naxals who are threatening to destabilize various parts of the country. The possibility of these groups aligning with external terrorist organizations cannot be ruled out.

Mr Chidambaram’s actions during his first year in office have been positive and it seem plausible that he shall be able to implement his reorganization plans. Like the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, he is respected for his integrity and tenure as the pro-reform Finance Minister. He has the trust of his Prime Minister and party leader, as was evident in his appointment to the second most important ministry in the country immediately after the Mumbai attacks. If Mr Chidambaram manages to reform the Indian security apparatus, it would significantly boost his political career and bring him closer to being the future Prime Minister of India.

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Read the full text of Mr Chidambaram’s speech here. It gives a good overview of India’s current intelligence and security structure.