Roots of Terrorism

The events of 11 September in New York and 13 December in New Delhi marked the high points of terrorism. But India's experience with it goes back two decades. In this essay, Bajpai examines the volatile situation in the borderlands of Kashmir, Punjab and the Northeast, while drawing comparisons with leftist insurgency, communal riots, and caste wars elsewhere.

How should we think about terrorist violence? Why has India been the object of terrorism from separatist groups in Kashmir Punjab, and the Northeast? Have external influences played a role in supporting this? How has the Indian government responded to secessionist violence? These are some of the concerns the author explores here, as he seeks an identifiable set of factors that account for terrorism.

Dwelling on how this violence can be combatted, Bajpai discusses in detail the case of Kashmir. He argues convincingly about the impracticality of the military option, including war, and the futility of using limited force, as in policing, without commitment to a credible political process, namely free and fair elections. In this forceful and timely essay he not only calls for measured governmental action, but also places responsibility on citizens for restoring long-term peace by finding ways of de-legitimizing violence in Indian society.