India’s Counter-Radicalisation and Deradicalisation Strategy: Challenges and Future Directions
Radicalisation and violent extremism constitute critical asymmetric threats undermining India’s national security and social fabric. Despite achieving a 63 per cent reduction in extremism-related incidents between 2022 and 2023, India confronts persistent structural deficiencies in its counter-radicalisation architecture. This article critically evaluates India’s counter-radicalisation and deradicalisation efforts by examining key government initiatives (clearly distinguished as counter-radicalisation or deradicalisation), emerging threats (digital and prison-based radicalisation) and operational gaps. Synthesising contemporary scholarship and policy frameworks, the study demonstrates that conventional security-centric interventions have reached their efficacy threshold. The article further examines the growing threats of digital radicalisation through encrypted platforms and social media, as well as prison radicalisation as an emerging institutional vulnerability. The analysis advances evidence-based recommendations, arguing that sustainable counter-radicalisation necessitates a paradigmatic shift towards community-embedded, technologically integrated prevention models. Specific recommendations include establishing a unified national counter-radicalisation database and developing state-specific strategies within a national framework, structured prison rehabilitation programmes and rigorous impact assessment mechanisms to enable evidence-based policy refinement across federal and state institutions.
- Mahesh A. Tripathi, Chandra Uday Singh |
- May-June 2026 |
