The Hindu : Front Page : How India thinks about security

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 15, 2006

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How India thinks about security

Yogendra Yadav and
Sanjay Kumar

Do people feel safe? Do they blame Pakistan for terrorism? Is the Government doing enough to tackle the problem?The Hindu-CNN-IBN State of the Nation Survey answers these and many more related questions.

New Delhi: The run-up to this year's Independence Day has been marked by an even greater anxiety on security. This anxiety has clearly affected the media, which following the Mumbai blasts, has made many assumptions about security. `Security experts' have made us believe that security has become a paramount national concern, that people have become much more anxious about terrorist attacks, that they hold the Centre responsible for the lapses, and that they would support hard, aggressive policies to tackle terrorism.

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The findings of The Hindu -IBN-CNN State of the Nation Survey, conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), challenge such assumptions. The survey, based on interviews with 14,860 respondents in 883 villages and urban areas in 19 States, has thrown up many interesting findings on the way Indians perceive the issue of security.

Less insecure country

As many as three-fourths of the people feel completely safe in their own locality, and only five per cent say they feel `very insecure.' This suggests that India is one of the less insecure countries in the region as these figures compare very favourably with those obtained from neighbouring countries in a recent study on State of Democracy in South Asia, conducted by the CSDS.

Only about 25 per cent of the people feel less safe than they did a few years ago. Interestingly, there are no sharp caste-community differences with respect to perceptions on security. The level of anxiety is a little higher about women's security and is shared in equal measure by men and women.

People living in the metropolitan cities reflect a much higher level of anxiety about security than others. This is not surprising as metros witness more crimes, and these receive more media attention. Respondents living in the metros feel much less safe than before and think that women are quite unsafe after sunset.

The survey also suggests that popular anxieties about insecurity must not be equated with anxieties about terrorism. When asked to respond to different kinds of security threats, the respondents placed routine threats such as theft and robbery on top.

Many more are worried about these than riots, terrorism or mob violence (minorities feel more insecure on this count). Of course, terrorist attacks are a real concern for about 25 per cent of the people (a little more than this in the metros). But all religious communities share this concern equally. If anything, the minorities feel a little more insecure about terrorist attacks.

Security anxieties have been aggravated by a widespread awareness of the Mumbai blasts. Our survey shows that 60 per cent of the respondents spread throughout the country have heard about the blasts. Interestingly, many States recorded a greater awareness than Maharashtra. In overall terms, the people feel that `national security' has deteriorated in the last two-and-a-half years, since the United Progressive Alliance Government came to power.

Role of Government

Who is to blame for the insecurity? The people are almost evenly split between those who hold the Government responsible and those who think it is doing its best in the given situation. The remaining one-third has no opinion on this matter. National Democratic Alliance supporters are firm in their indictment of the Centre, while UPA voters are positively inclined towards the Government.

There is a three way split on the issue about who is responsible for supporting terrorist activities. One-third blames the Muslims, another one-third says it is unfair to blame any community, and the rest have no opinion. Interestingly, this sensitive question did not elicit the kind of communal polarisation one might have expected.

As expected, Muslims and other minorities reject any thought of linking the entire community with terrorism. Even among the Hindus, only 38 per cent accept this view, reflecting a lack of communal polarisation on this issue too.

A question that elicits near unanimity relates to the role of Pakistan. A clear majority accepts the Government's official position identifying Pakistan as the source of terrorism within India. Only 10 per cent of all respondents, one-third of them Muslims, disagree with this.

`No' to hawks

At the same time, this does not mean that the people want the Government to pursue a hawkish line. Those who held Pakistan responsible for terrorism in India were further asked what the Government should do about this. Even within this sub-group, there were more people who supported peaceful methods such as negotiation and pressure tactics rather than a military solution.

The public also believes that the police cannot be relied on beyond a point to solve security- related problems. When asked whether they believe they would receive a fair treatment from the police, only 42 per cent replied in the affirmative. As much as 36 per cent fear discrimination at the hands of the police. This perception remains unchanged across castes and communities. It is the poor who fear discrimination the most. That is a sobering thought on the Independence Day.

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