NIA Chief Highlights Proxy Wars, ISIS Threats; Urges End To Security Corruption

National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director General Sadanand Date highlighted proxy wars and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as formidable challenges to India's security landscape, emphasizing the urgent need to eradicate corruption within national security bodies to effectively counter emerging threats. Speaking at a lecture on “India’s Internal Security and Its Challenges” in Pune on September 20, 2025, Date, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, stressed that strengthening democracy and institutional integrity are paramount for the nation's resilience. The event, organized by a local think tank, drew security experts and underscored the evolving nature of internal threats in a geopolitically volatile region.

Date outlined a spectrum of persistent internal dangers, including Naxalism in central India, Khalistani extremism, and separatist movements in Kashmir, alongside cross-border infiltration from Bangladesh and Myanmar in the northeast. He noted that while India has made significant strides in mitigating these issues, external actors sponsoring proxy wars—often through state-backed non-state militants—pose a sophisticated risk to economic and territorial stability.

ISIS, with its global recruitment networks and ideological appeal, remains a transnational menace, particularly in radicalizing vulnerable youth via online propaganda. “If we want to withstand new challenges, we must strengthen democracy,” Date asserted, crediting the Constitution, independent judiciary, and democratic framework for past successes in neutralizing terror modules.

To combat these hurdles, Date called for zero tolerance toward corruption in agencies like the NIA, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and state police forces, arguing that graft undermines operational efficiency and public trust. Established in 2008 post the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the NIA has dismantled over 500 terror cases, including high-profile ISIS and Lashkar-e-Taiba networks, but Date warned that internal rot could erode these gains.

His remarks align with recent government initiatives, such as the 2024 National Security Strategy, which prioritizes counter-radicalization and border fortification amid rising Indo-Pak tensions and Myanmar's instability spilling over.

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Reflecting on his tenure as Inspector General of Maharashtra's elite counter-terror unit Force One, formed in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai siege, Date shared firsthand insights into building resilient teams. “After 26/11, extensive changes were made to the police force... I joined them for physical training at 6 a.m. every day,” he recounted, instilling values where “duty is greater than life itself” and “talent is more important than rank.”

Under his leadership, Force One evolved into a value-driven force, emphasizing quality over hierarchy. Date's address, amid ongoing NIA probes into proxy funding from across the border, serves as a clarion call for ethical fortitude in India's security apparatus as it navigates a multipolar world order.

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