Terrorism in India

India is the second most populous country in the world, with diverse cultures, languages, traditions and customs. Although diversity is an asset of the nation, friction often arises. Different cultures lead to different ideologies, further causing regionalism. Whether it is Kashmir, the northeast region of the country, southern states or the Northwest area, each corner of India has seen and experienced the consequences of regionalism, which a contributing factor to increasing terrorist activities and militancy in India.

Religion has also played its role in contributing to the rise of terrorism. The demolition of the Babri Masjid marked the rise of religious fundamentalists in the country. Terrorism in the name of religion has become India's foremost concern. The Bombay Blast in 1993 and the Gujarat Riots in 2002, clearly depicts the seriousness of the issue.

In each region of the country there has been an issue of seperatism or violence against the governement or ruling clans demanding equality etc.

Assam

Assam until the 1980s faced no terrorist threats. During the 80s, indegenous assamese started demanding that Bengali people be kept out of Assam as they felt threatened. Though some accords were created, they were largely not implemented which lead more discontent. This was followed by the Bodos demanding more autonomy and the secessionist groups like ULFA and MULTA. Nagaland too is sporadically attacked by these extremists. Though most of the rebels were crushed, there have still been pockets of terrorism in various parts of the state with surges in violent activities mainly against ecnomic targets.

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is the only southern state that is bothered by terrorism, although of a far different and less malignant kind. The terrorism in this state stems from the PWG popularly known as Naxalites in the state. Though currently the ban on them has been lifted, these idelogical extremists aim to create equality in the society by attacking the rich and powerful landlords. Having failed to capture popular support in the elections, they resorted to violence as a means to voice their opinions. They tried an assasination attempt on the previous Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. However their influence is limited to Telangana region of the state.

Jammu & Kashmir

Main Article: Terrorism in Kashmir

Punjab

During the 1970s, Sikh fundamentalists felt that they were being relegated to the background and started demanding more autonomy. This intensified during 1980s when the movement turned violent and the name Khalistan resurfaced and sought independence from the Indian Union. Led by Bhindranwale they soon adopted radical ways challing the government. Soon things turned bloody with the movement turning into terrorism, with India alleging that neighbouring Pakistan supported these rebels. In [[1984], Operation Blue Star which despite its success in flushing out the terrorists holed in the Golden Temple was a fiasco politically and set the tone for further resentment against the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The same year she was assasinated by Sikh bodyguard which resulted in widespread riots against the Sikh community. Fuelled by this, Sikh extremists planted a bomb on Air India Flight 182 which exploded over the Irish Sea, remaining the biggest aviation disaster until 9/11 attack. Since then the Punjab Police under K.P.S.Gill and the Indian Army lead a successful series of campaigns to weed out the limited support base of the terrorists. By mid 1990s, Punjab once again became peaceful and the economic boom of the nation quelled any lingering seperatist ideas.

Religion based terrorism

With the emergence of religion as a prominent force to unite under, there have been various sporadic incidences of violence caused by Hindu and Muslim extremists. Many of these incidents have led to further escalation of tensions between the communities. These can affect any area and are not limited to one state. For instance a relatively peaceful state like Tamil Nadu was rocked by series of bomb blasts in Coimbatore in 1998. The Babri Masjid demolision, Bombay blasts in 1992, and the Godhra incident led to massive rioting.