Book of Integration Council New - Ministry of Home Affairs

for reconciliation, especially of all those caught up in the vortex of today’s
conflicts. I am stressing this point since violence seems to be permeating society
today, across the length and breadth of our country - whether it be terrorist
violence, whether it is violence with an ideological veneer such as that adopted by
the Left Wing Extremists, or communal violence. We need to meet today’s
mindless violence with the requisite amount of force, but must also ensure that this
is tempered by reason and justice which is the normal order of governance.
Terrorism and terrorist acts undoubtedly present us with a serious dilemma. Terrorism
is the major scourage, the world faces today. Several individuals are being
involved into participating in terrorist acts, by projecting a sense of real or
perceived grievance. The use of violent methods by those embracing terrorism is
abhorrent to any society. There can be no compromise with terrorism and
terrorists have to be dealt with firmly. At the same time, it is important that in trying
to counter terrorism, wrong methods and means are not adopted. Any impression
that any community, or sections amongst them, are being targeted, or that some
kind of profiling is being attempted, should be avoided. The means are as
important as the ends. This is vital, as otherwise it could lead to a major
polarization of society. In dealing with Left Wing Extremist Violence, one must
recognize that many of those who are being encouraged to take to violence have
suffered from years, and sometimes generations, of violence at the hands of
exploiters and unscrupulous elements. Many of those involved are amongst the
‘poorest of the poor’ and are merely demanding a place in the sun they have been
denied so far. Yet we cannot ignore the reality that today’s naxalities are armed
with sophisticated weapons, and adept at guerilla warfare techniques, and have
caused the death of many innocent people and members of the security forces.
A proper distinction has, hence, to be made so that, while there is no attempt
made to minimize the threat posed by them, and to deal effectively with this
problem. The poor tribals and others should not be made to suffer needlessly at
the hands of the authorities as well.
Perhaps, the most disturbing and dangerous aspect today is the assault on our
composite culture. Ethnic and religious communities have lived together
peacefully during the past millenniums. We take pride in the fact that people of all
castes, communities, religions and languages live together peacefully, and our
culture imbibes the best from each one of them. Yet today, we see faultlines
developing between, and among, communities. Recent tragic events in Orissa,
Karnataka and Assam have pained all right thinking persons. There are clashes
between Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Tribal groups. An atmosphere of
hatred and violence is being artificially generated. There are forces delib
erately encouraging such tendencies and also spawning militant outfits who
engage in irrational violence. These need to be firmly dealt with. There is, at
the same time, real need for better understanding of the forces at
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