A citizen strategy for a world of increasing terrorism

How citizens can prepare and protect themselves

The recent tragic act of terrorism in Pahalgam, where 26 civilian tourists and a local were mercilessly gunned down by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, has left the entire nation shaken.

Brig. S C Sharma (Retd) has pointed out a hard, uncomfortable truth: had those able-bodied men resisted, even with bare hands, the outcome could have been very different.

Even basic minimum resistance would have disrupted the terrorists’ plans.

The number of bullets required to kill 27 out of the 50+ resisting persons at the spot would have been many more compared to a passive, subdued target, when it was one bullet per person.

They may have, for example, run out of bullets. At least some lives may have been saved.

The terrorists, unprepared for a collective fight back, may have panicked, fled, or made mistakes.

Perhaps one or more of their guns may have been snatched, despite some deaths.

And crucially, the dignity of the victims could have been preserved; no one would have been forced to undergo the humiliation of being ordered to strip under the threat of death.

The power of numbers against the power of the gun is not trivial.

Terrorism is not a spontaneous act. It is a cold, calculated strategy. In our case, it is often pursued by Pakistan, often covertly aided by China, to destabilize India. It is pursued by Islamic fundamentalists from within India, too.

The coming years and decades are likely to see more of terrorism, not less, if we go by the increasing acts of terror all over the world.

Given this stark reality, it is no longer sufficient for the government alone, through police and defence forces, to act.

We need a well-thought-out Citizens’ Standard Operating Procedure (C-SOP) for terror situations. And we must popularize it widely, through:

• Press Conferences and Television campaigns
• Social media
• Educational & Training sessions in schools and colleges
• Short films and blockbuster movies dramatizing realistic resistance scenarios
• Training modules for transport workers, hotel staff, office-goers, and border residents.

I’m not expecting the ordinary people to suddenly become fighters. We can do just what is within our realms of possibility, to save ourselves from ‘certain’ worse outcomes. Isn’t this what we would like to do ourselves, if only possible?

This is also likely to help our government, police, and defence forces immensely.

This isn’t just a modern requirement coming up today. Past history holds painful lessons.

During the British Raj, a few thousand armed British officers controlled tens of crores of Indians, at a ratio of 1 British soldier to 10,000+ Indians.

How? Not only through superior weapons, but through a deliberate cultivation of fear, inaction, psychological dominance, and disunity among Indians. And using our own men as part of their police and military.

Just like we tame mighty elephants, tigers, lions, etc, through mind power.

The moment Indians started resisting in unity, as seen in the 1857 uprising and the later freedom movements, the imperial machinery began to crack.

The lesson is clear: Psychological dominance is a greater weapon than guns.

Break the fear, and the invincibility of the oppressor crumbles. They’ll run for cover.

The ancient Indian wisdom from the Jataka Tales reminds us similarly. In the story of the hunter and the flock of birds, unity and alertness enabled the birds to evade the hunter easily by fluttering their wings and flying together, with the trap.

Drawing lessons from both our ancient folklore and the more recent colonial past, it is time we instilled a culture of alertness, unity, and collective resistance.

This preparation must go beyond just general awareness.

Just as some countries have compulsory military training or conscription, India can create an evolving, structured framework of Civil Defence Training, adapted to our needs, that:

• Starts with an initial voluntary phase, but with strong encouragement.
• Includes live demonstrations, mock drills, and hands-on rehearsals of terror situations.
• Trains citizens not only in resistance but also in situational awareness, first response, communication protocols, and safe evacuation techniques.
• Covers a variety of scenarios: terrorist shootings, hostage situations, bomb threats, cyber sabotage, and even chemical or nuclear attacks.
• It is integrated into the school and college curriculum to shape future generations with a mindset of responsibility, courage, and unity.

This training will serve many vital purposes:

• Practical preparedness: Citizens will know how to act under pressure, and terrorists will no longer find easy targets.
• People getting closer to the police and defence forces during training will develop a sense of camaraderie.
• National spirit: It will instill a deep sense of belonging, duty, and pride in standing together for the motherland.

The cost of all this won’t be high, because we can use the services of the police and defence personnel available in the nearby areas, during their free time.

Resistance, after all, is the first spark of victory.

(Post Script: Subsequently, we can even integrate training for Natural Disaster Preparedness into this.)

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

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