The recent violent Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan and its spreading out to the neighbouring states; frequent bandhs being called by the Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJMM) cutting of Darjeeling as well as the vital strategically important road route to Sikkim; or the latest round of fighting between the factions of the Khalsa Sikhs with the followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda which severely affected parts of Mulund and other areas in North west Mumbai - apparently unconnected and sporadic incidents all, however, do highlight an already existing alarming fact - the increasing incapability of the Indian state's official security agencies to provide security for its citizens.

The case of India, however, has not been an exception in this regard. During the post Cold War period, and especially since the 9/11 incidens, various externally induced factors coupled with the rising incidence of collapsing internal institutions have led to the rise of intra-state conflicts of various types all across the globe. Internal security oriented threats have emerged as a major challenge facing the nation-states in current times. In cases of such internal conflicts, the most alarming fact has been the increasing incidence of state failures in terms of ensuring supply of public goods to their citizens. The most critical failure, in this connection, arguably has been the relative failure of the states in ensuring security for the citizens.

The Indian state's long war of attrition against various insurgent outfits, terrorism and proliferating Naxalite influence over a vast stretch of area threatens to sap the strength of the nation-state. Along with such long term security threats comes sporadic flare ups, as indicated above, which are often culminations of long term socio-cultural mobilization processes involving the paradigm of real or imagined deprivation. In any case, the general outcome is the rising incidence of failures of state security agencies to ensure maintenance of law and order and to ensure security of citizens.

This has given rise to a trend of privatization of security. The trend towards increased internal security provision by non-state actors, as noted above, is prevalent in all regions of the world. A confluence of supply and demand factors ranging from the ready availability of personnel in states downsizing their security forces, to the chronic insecurity and poor quality of policing in many countries, appears to be driving this trend. Inadequacy and failure of the government forces to deal with myriad challenges has led to the government exercising various non-state oriented options in dealing with internal security.

In the case of the Indian state, in certain remote areas, for instance, the system of Village Defence Committees (VDCs), numbering nearly 3,700, has been put in place to encourage and equip the village community for self-defence against the menace of terrorism and supplement the ongoing efforts of the Security Forces. In addition, a large number of Special Police Officers (SPOs), numbering around 30,000, have been appointed. The Indian state has also used various vigilante groups in conflict zones.

Thus, state sponsored scheme of privatization of security is not something new in the Indian context. Currently, with the proliferation of more private security companies organized on corporate lines, there is a new opportunity for the government to recruit them in ensuring internal security. It is estimated, for instance, that in India there are, at present, around 10,000 private security companies in the country with 80 per cent in the unorganized sector and the remainder in the hands of a few big organized ones. The private security industry is around Rs. 21,000-crore business with nearly 50 lakh people, numbering more than the Police, Army, Navy, and Air Force put together.

According to one recent report in the Deccan Herald, the rising private security industry in India is also likely to get involved by the government in jobs like passport verifications, court summons and pre-employment verifications of government and Private Sector Unit (PSU) employees that currently engage nearly 30 per cent of the police force at present. Before being used by the state, there is, however, a need for greater regulation and imposition of certain norms on the industry. In this connection, in order to regulate the increasing activities of private security agencies, both Indian and foreign, the Indian government has passed the 'The Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005.'

According to the Indian Home Ministry Annual Report 2007-2008, the government has also framed the 'Private Security Agencies Central Model Rules, 2006' which have been sent to the State Governments for their guidance enabling them to frame their own rules, in conformity with the Central Model Rules. The state governments have been also advised to take measures by which the huge pool of private security personnel could be effectively harnessed in the context of the overall security environment.

Another bill, related to the private security agencies, The Private Detective Agencies (Regulation) Bill, 2007, was introduced by the government in the Rajya Sabha in August, 2007. The objective of the Bill is to regulate the working of Private Detective Agencies through a system of mandatory licensing so as to ensure that they work within the ambit of legal framework and are accountable to a regulatory authority. The Bill, at present, is being examined by the Department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs.

Some critics have pointed out that security privatization pose a danger of further eroding state authority at a time, when the state structure is already facing severe assault from within and without. While acknowledging various problems associated with their use, one must nonetheless admit, that the use of the private security agencies has become a vital component of any security mechanism in present times. Such uses would, however, require greater caution and innovativeness on the part of the Indian security establishment. The Indian establishment seems more ready now to get into some sort of an arrangement with the burgeoning private security industry in the country and through regulations, get such organizations involved into a more integrated security mechanism.

Dr. Shantanu Chakrabarti teaches history and international relations at the University of Calcutta. He can be contacted at chakrabartishantanu@hotmail.com.