Internal Security Has Changed Irrevocably, Home Secretary Tells IPS Batch

Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan has said India’s “conventional internal security landscape” has “changed irrevocably”, while warning that new threats such as narcotics and cybercrime will test the police. He was addressing the Dikshant Parade of the 78th batch of regular recruit IPS officers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in Hyderabad.

Five Emerging Threats

Mohan said militant Naxalism has largely ended and insurgency in the North East has been reduced, describing the current unrest there as “largely ethnic conflict”. “Homegrown terrorism has also come to, more or less, an end,” he said.

He named five emerging challenges for the new officers: narcotics, cybercrime, terrorism, illegal immigration and the use of technology to hide crime. He said cybercrime is now open to low-skilled offenders using mule bank accounts and fake SIM cards, and flagged deepfakes and altered videos on social media as a growing cause of law-and-order problems. States and Union Territories, he said, will fight these battles on the front line.

For ordinary people, the warning on mule accounts and deepfakes is a reminder to be careful with bank details and unverified videos. More updates are on our Quick Reads and Daily Updates pages.

Based on reporting by Deccan Herald (PTI), Telangana Today and The Siasat Daily.

Image: Deccan Herald / PTI (file).