A Degree in Terrorism

Students are lining up for a course that probes the mind of a terrorist.

It’s Saturday morning and the sprawling Sarhad campus on the outskirts of Pune is buzzing. Animated voices can be heard from a classroom of 18 debating ways of wiping out terror from their country. This isn’t idle chatter, but a curricular group discussion. As part of the opening batch of India’s first-ever counter-terrorism and peace management course for civilians, these youngsters intend to educate the common man on the importance of vigilance and strategic conflict management.

With memories of the 26/11 terror attack still fresh, several firms have expressed interest in recruiting trained professionals. “A course like this is important for professionals like hotel managers, security officers, front office executives and other in-house officers. Especially after 26/11, all hotels need to adopt their own safety measures. These advanced courses will enable our professionals to act effectively in a crisis,” says Vipul Gupta, executive director of Delhi’s Metropolitan Hotel. Guests, say chains like the Metropolitan and Sarovar Resorts, would feel safer in the presence of such professionals.

Launched on 2 October, the course is the brainchild of Sanjay Nahar, founder of Sarhad, an organisation that has been working in the strife-ridden regions of the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab for several decades. Over the years, Nahar has heard many stories of fear and gloom from the citizens of these areas. During one such interaction, he realised civilians can deal with terrorism only if they are aware of what the terrorist is trying to achieve. He came up with a two-year programme with the belief that terrorism has to be fought like cancer. Every diseased cell must be destroyed. To arm students with the requisite knowledge and training, Nahar brought together a team of Army personnel, police officials and even surrendered militants from Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The terrible thing about terrorism is that it ultimately destroys those who practise it. Slowly, the light within them also dies. Who could give students better insight into such experiences and emotions than surrendered militants?” asks Nahar.

The course was designed under the supervision of the former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Mahmud-ur-Rehman, who has seen terrorism from close quarters, having served in various administrative capacities in Kashmir between 1966 and 1995. And Nahar says that when he decided to launch the course, he couldn’t think of anyone better than Rehman to draw up the curriculum.

The course is divided into a number of sections: the first stage focuses on the etymology and philosophy of terrorism, the next highlights the sophistication of the terrorist’s modus operandi, and in the final one, experts guide students on ways and means of developing a holistic strategy to combat terrorism. The curriculum looks to impart both theoretical knowledge and practical training. “We have planned a number of site visits as part of which students can visit terror-affected areas and speak with officials on duty,” says Nahar, “Student sessions with doctors are also being worked out; if someone suffers a heart attack during a terror strike, our students ought to know how to handle such emergencies.”

The course elicited quite a few queries, but Nahar picked only 18 bright students, based on how earnestly they sought change. The four girls and 14 boys are from diverse backgrounds. Some are hotel management graduates, others are media students, and there are fresh MBAs as well.

For Rohullah Gazi, 28, peace and freedom were terms he didn’t really comprehend till he arrived in Pune a couple of years ago. Growing up in Kashmir, his was a childhood of fear and uncertainty. “If my father didn’t return by 6 pm, we’d switch on the news to find out if he had been caught in a blast,” says this former journalist who has seen militancy warp the Valley’s emotional health. “One of every four people in Kashmir in the age group of 50-60 is a heart patient; my mother is one of them,” he says. As he watched live broadcasts of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai last year, Gazi realised the common man has to play an active role in the war against terrorism. And then, he came across this course.

The youngest of them all is Somayana Rafiq Zargar, who is 23. Her forehead creases into a frown as she recalls a childhood in Srinagar, in the shadow of militancy. “My grandfather was a freedom fighter and my uncle a politician. He was mercilessly tortured by militants simply because he hailed from a political family. My family has spent many a sleepless night in fear of being killed. I don’t want future generations to experience that kind of pain,” she says. Somayana’s reason for joining the course is simple: she wants to know if youth get sucked into the terror web because of inherent problems in the region or for the love of power and weapons.

Gazi’s face lights up every time Lieutenant General Moti Lal Dhar enters the classroom. “It is a pleasure to hear him talk,” he says, in reverence. A defence stalwart, Dhar has his audience listening to him in rapt attention, as he stresses the need for the nation to evolve an integral politico-military approach to deal with terror.

Another teacher the students have been looking forward to is Veer (name changed), a dreaded militant who claimed amnesty during the insurgency in Punjab. Though he isn’t ready yet to disclose his real name to the world, Veer is looking forward to interacting with students and sharing his story with them. “Terrorists are mere pawns in a bigger game. I have been a victim of this. These bigger fish hunt out unemployed youth and use them as terror machines,” he says. Veer wants to send out a message to the youth that no matter how frustrating circumstances are, they shouldn’t resort to violence. “One small mistake can ruin your life. Upgrade your skills and channel your anger positively,” he says.

The faculty believes that for citizens to be honed in peace management skills, such courses should become part of the school curriculum. They cite the example of Israel, where every citizen undergoes training in counter-terrorism.

“In order to combat terror, a country needs to develop combat teams, National Security Guard hubs, pilotless drones and advanced radars among other things. Unless you do this course, you won’t even realise that one requires all this, so you can’t put pressure on the concerned organisations,” says Dhar. He believes the time has come for action. Which, he reminds us, speak louder than words. “We are approaching a time when terror backed with nuclear power could make us sorry that we didn’t act soon enough,” he warns, echoing a fear that is certainly not his alone.

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Avantika Bhuyan