NewKerala.com

Retired Colonel's Warning: Why India Fears Calling Out "Enemies Within"

Retired Colonel Hunny Bakshi says India has long avoided identifying internal enemies. He reveals the domestic terror problem began with training camps in the mid-1980s. The former intelligence specialist criticizes the government's soft approach in labeling terrorists. His comments come amid NIA's investigation into the deadly Red Fort explosion.

Key Points: Colonel Hunny Bakshi on Domestic Terror Threats and Government Approach

  • Domestic terror threat dates back to 1985-86 training camps in Pakistan
  • Government used "militants" instead of terrorists as honorable term
  • Intelligence expert reveals meeting radicalized educated professionals
  • NIA investigates terror module involving doctors after Red Fort blast
3 min read

We are not ready to call out enemies within: Retired Colonel Hunny Bakshi on Red Fort blast

Retired Army Colonel Hunny Bakshi warns about India's reluctance to identify domestic enemies and criticizes government's "nice approach" towards terrorists.

"Till date we are not ready to say it is Islamic radicalisation - Colonel Hunny Bakshi"

New Delhi, November 28

Retired Army officer, Colonel Hunny Bakshi said on Friday said that Indians seem to have a problem of not calling out any "enemies from within." He claimed that the Central government took a "nice approach" towards terrorists by calling them "militants" before.

Colonel Hunny Bakshi (retd) is an intelligence specialist who led the Army's covert intelligence unit Technical Support Division (TSD). While speaking about alleged domestic terrorists in the context of the November 10 car explosion near Red Fort in the national capital, he said that the problem of alleged terrorists residing within India is decades old.

"Problem with us we are not ready to call out. We are aware there are enemies. It is not about 1990, it started sometime in 1985-86 where the first lot of people went for training. In 1991 we caught a group exfiltrating, those were the days where a lot of exfiltration was taking place. Normally jisko pakadte the woh jawab deta tha ki (whoever we caught used to reply) his father is put under threat, give one child from house, they had their own stories," the retired officer said while addressing second session of ANI's National Security Summit on the topic 'The Enemy within'.

Recalling his time in the Armed Forces, Colonel Bakshi (retd) said that he has met people who are "convinced" of their goal and path, and as such the Central government was "going through niceties" in calling out terrorism properly before.

"I met a guy, he was an engineer and he said that I am very convinced on what I am doing. So if you think this kind of thing is happening now, it is always there. We need to understand, and I will be very brutal here. We have been going through niceties, we have been calling them militants, which by the way is a very honourable word," he said.

"Then the government wanted to be subtle and started calling them anti-national elements. They still didn't want to call them terrorists. Till date we are not ready to say it is Islamic radicalisation," Colonel Bakshi said.

The former army officer's comments were made in connection with the explosion which killed atleast 15 and injured multiple others near Red Fort earlier this month. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing possible terror links after finding a "terror module" with multiple doctors and professionals allegedly part of it.

Meanwhile, the NIA has stepped up its investigation into the deadly suicide car bomb attack near Delhi's Red Fort, taking one of the arrested accused, Doctor Shaheen Saeed of Uttar Pradesh' Lucknow to Haryana's Faridabad for on-site questioning, according to sources.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
While I respect his service, I worry this kind of language might lead to profiling of innocent citizens. We need strong security measures but also must protect our democratic values and not generalize communities.
A
Arjun K
The fact that educated professionals are involved is really shocking! Doctors joining terror modules? This shows how deep the problem runs. We need better monitoring systems in educational institutions.
S
Sarah B
As someone who has lived in Delhi for 5 years, the Red Fort attack was terrifying. We need more transparency from authorities about security threats. Colonel Bakshi's insights from intelligence background are valuable.
V
Vikram M
His mention of the 1985-86 period is eye-opening. This isn't a new problem but has been brewing for decades. Strong action needed but with proper legal framework. Jai Hind! 🙏
M
Michael C
Interesting perspective from someone who actually dealt with intelligence operations. The distinction between "militant" and "terrorist" does matter in how we approach the problem strategically.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50