The Coast is Clear

Cdr Ranjan Bhattacharya (retd)

Historical experiences have shaped India’s continental mindset because invaders have mostly come over through the land borders. This mindset somehow dictated our approach to Maritime Security Strategy, until a very recent past. It was only in 2015, when the Indian Navy promulgated India’s Maritime Security Strategy, that we first had a guiding document on this issue. The fact that we have over 7,500km of coastline, with large uninhabited stretches must awaken necessary understanding of the complexity of the task at hand and the porosity of our borders.

Historical Perspective

Historically, we were not always a complete continental nation. Great empires of yore were maritime powers that used the sea not only for trade, but also for spreading cultural and ideological influences across south and east Asia. Spices, fine textiles, precious gemstones from India were legendary and her opulence was what compelled the European powers to seek out a seaborne trade route to India.

The world’s earliest dry docks discovered at Lothal dating back to 2200 BCE bears testimony to India’s early maritime heritage. Even as recent as the early 18^th century, at the height of the colonial power, the Maratha Navy under the leadership of Kanhoji Angre managed to defeat the two foremost colonial powers of the day, the British and the Portuguese at the same time. The Zamorins of Calicut had a very powerful navy, which under the leadership of the Marakkars, never let the Portuguese fleet have any peace for over a century. Rani Abbaka Chowta of Ullal, who made the Portuguese Navy retreat from Mangalore, was also another legendary luminary in the maritime domain.

Existing Threats

The challenge to maintain a strict vigil and deter security breach is omnipresent and hence, even a slight lack of focus can prove catastrophic. There is a constant threat of infiltration through our coastline which could translate into illicit trade, trafficking, illegal migration, infiltration, illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, arms smuggling and support for terrorist activities. With an aim of plugging these gaps, the Coast Guard was set up in 1977 and was tasked with surveillance duties which gradually extended to protection and assistance of fishermen, anti-smuggling operations (in conjunction with other enforcement agencies), and preservation of marine life and ensuring adherence to maritime laws.

The Awakening

The importance of coastal security gained prominence when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 by LTTE militants from Sri Lanka, who infiltrated into the country through the sea route. The Mumbai bomb blasts two years later further exposed the gaps in our coastal security when it was revealed that the explosives had been smuggled into the country through the Raigad coast of Maharashtra.

This brought a very limited focus towards our coastal security infrastructure and was led by the Indian Navy which set up coastal detachments on the Tamil Nadu coast under ‘Operation Tasha’ and on the Maharashtra coast under ‘Operation Swan’ beginning 1991 and 1993 respectively. These operations were a three-tier endeavour consisting of the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and a joint patrol comprising personnel from the Indian Navy, the state police and the Customs.

However, in the absence of adequate infrastructure, equipment and resources committed to such operations engaged in joint patrolling, the exercise was at best a deterrence measure without much bite and effectiveness. The operations and were undertaken for over two decades and then progressively wound up as the current set up was put in place.

In 2005, the government instituted the Coastal Security Scheme (CSS) that envisaged setting up of coastal police stations, check posts, outposts and barracks, equipped with boats, jeeps and motorcycles. The costs of training the personnel and procuring the vehicles were borne by the state while the Centre provided funds for the other operations.

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