14 years of 26/11: How India Upped Its National Security Measures Since Mumbai Attack

The resolve against terrorism has so far seemed to have paid rich dividends as there have been no such attacks as 26/11 in this country in the past 14 years.

Written by: Anurag Kumar

Updated: November 26, 2022, 9:35 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/14-years-of-26-11-how-india-upped-its-national-security-measures-since-mumbai-attack-5765714/ Copy

Since 26/11 attacks India has upped its national security measures to ensure such attacks are never unleashed on civilians ever again.

26/11 Mumbai Attack: November 26 is a reminder to all Indians and people across the globe of how terrorism is the biggest enemy of humanity in the 21st century. Though 14 years have passed, the wounds of the attack still feel fresh for all countrymen. The attack also woke up the whole world to acknowledge the threat called “terrorism”. For India, this attack made us see the gaping holes in our national security measures and pushed us to do something significant with it to make sure a repeat never happens.

India as a nation took up this challenge and stood tall against all odds to make sure that terrorists never ever get better off us and inflict pain on civilians who are always the easiest targets. The resolve against terrorism has so far seemed to have paid rich dividends as there have been no such attacks as 26/11 in this country in the past 14 years.

26/11 Mumbai Attack Exposed Our Apathy Towards National Security Measure

The Mumbai attack of 26/11 was an acute reminder of what may happen to a nation that doesn’t pay attention to its national security needs. A group of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists unleashed a series of attacks at several places, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident and the Taj Palace & Tower. Mumbai was under seize for four days before the national security guards killed nine terrorists and captured one alive — Ajmal Kasab, who was later hanged to death in 2012. Sadly, that wasn’t before India lost 165 people and over 300 were seriously injured.

The attack exposed India’s security preparedness. The attackers sailed on a boat from Karachi and entered Mumbai, without anybody noticing them.

10 Measures Taken To Enhance The National Security Post 26/11 Attack

In the aftermath of the Mumbai attack, the government swung into action with some very bold moves to enhance the border security of the country. Now, India seems to be a different country when it comes to preparedness to tackle attacks outside of India. Several measures have been taken to make sure we never see a repeat of 26/11-like attacks in any part of India.

Here’s the list of measures taken to tackle terrorism and enhance national security: 

1. Coastal security preparedness: Terrorists slipping by India’s coast guards was a major embarrassment for Indian security agencies. A decade later the 26/11 tragedy, the coastal security project is well underway. Today, there is a major maritime defence and surveillance architecture in place to prevent a repeat of 26/11.
2. Coastal infrastructure: The most important lesson that was learnt post-26/11 was accepting the need for enhanced maritime domain awareness. The coastal surveillance network has already been established along the coast with the first phase- with 46 radars- already completed. The second phase of 38 radars is in the pipeline. India has already commissioned the Information Management and Analysis Centre in Gurgaon for easy collection and dissemination of shipping data for increased awareness.
3. Operation Sagar Kavach: Post the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, operation Sagar Kavach was put into operation to improve the coordination between several security agencies including the Indian Navy and Coast Guards, and the local police.
4. Strength of India Navy: The Indian Navy’s ability to ward off any 26/11-like misadventure has been strengthened. It is now seemingly capable of upholding India’s interests in the seas.
5. Establishment of subsidiary multi-agency centres (SMAC): Intelligence Bureau (IB) has reorganised its MAC and it now functions 24/7. It has also established SMACs in 30 important locations in India to share intelligence with all other security agencies.
6. Tracking fishing boats: A system has been put in place to track all the fishing boats 24/7. Issuances of biometric cards to the fishermen, online registrations, using Automatic Identification System (AIS) etc. are some of the steps that have been undertaken.
7. Force One: Maharashtra government has instituted an elite commando force called Force One and has also introduced specialised training for them on the lines of National Security Guards (NSG).
8. NSG preparedness: National Security Guard (NSG) has learnt a lot in the last 10 years and is prepared for all different kinds of terrorist activities that India might face.
9. Creation of centralised database: Post 26/11, a specialised agency, the National Intelligence Grid or NATGRID, was constituted to create a database of security-related information. Hubs were created for rapid response to such attacks.
10. Enhanced security presence at sensitive areas: There are more metal detectors and presence of armed guards at sensitive places in the country than ever before.